CVE-2025-3120: Phpgurukul Apartment Visitors SQLI Flaw

CVE-2025-3120 Overview

A SQL injection vulnerability has been identified in SourceCodester Apartment Visitors Management System version 1.0. This issue affects the processing of the file /add-apartment.php, where manipulation of the apartmentno argument leads to SQL injection. The attack can be initiated remotely by authenticated users, and the exploit has been disclosed to the public. Additional parameters within the application may also be affected by similar injection flaws.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers with low-level privileges can exploit this SQL injection vulnerability to manipulate database queries, potentially accessing, modifying, or deleting sensitive apartment visitor records and management data.

Affected Products

• Phpgurukul Apartment Visitors Management System 1.0
• SourceCodester Apartment Visitors Management System deployments using vulnerable /add-apartment.php endpoint
• Systems with exposed web interfaces running the affected application version

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-04-02 - CVE-2025-3120 published to NVD
• 2025-05-07 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-3120

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL injection vulnerability (CWE-89) exists within the /add-apartment.php file of the Apartment Visitors Management System. The vulnerability stems from improper neutralization of special elements used in SQL commands, allowing attackers to inject malicious SQL statements through the apartmentno parameter. Since the application fails to properly sanitize user input before incorporating it into database queries, attackers can craft malicious requests that alter the intended SQL logic.

The vulnerability is classified under both CWE-89 (SQL Injection) and CWE-74 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component), indicating that the root cause involves insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is the lack of parameterized queries or prepared statements when handling user-supplied input in the apartmentno field. The application directly concatenates user input into SQL query strings without proper sanitization or escaping, creating a classic SQL injection attack surface. This is a fundamental secure coding oversight that allows attackers to break out of the intended data context and inject arbitrary SQL commands.

Attack Vector

The attack is network-based and can be executed remotely against the vulnerable endpoint. An attacker with low-level privileges (authenticated user) can craft HTTP requests to the /add-apartment.php endpoint containing malicious SQL syntax in the apartmentno parameter. The injected SQL code is then executed by the database server with the privileges of the application's database connection.

Potential attack scenarios include:

• Data Exfiltration: Extracting sensitive visitor records, apartment information, and user credentials
• Data Manipulation: Modifying or deleting apartment and visitor management records
• Authentication Bypass: Potentially bypassing login mechanisms if similar injection points exist
• Privilege Escalation: Gaining access to administrative functions through database manipulation

Technical details and proof-of-concept information are available in the GitHub SQL Vulnerability Document referenced in the vulnerability disclosure.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-3120

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual or malformed HTTP requests to /add-apartment.php containing SQL keywords such as SELECT, UNION, DROP, INSERT, or comment sequences (--, /*)
• Database error messages appearing in web application responses indicating query syntax errors
• Unexpected database activity including bulk data retrievals or modifications to apartment management tables
• Web server logs showing repeated requests with encoded special characters targeting the apartmentno parameter

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in HTTP request parameters
• Deploy database activity monitoring to identify anomalous query patterns or unauthorized data access
• Configure application logging to capture all input to the /add-apartment.php endpoint for security analysis
• Use intrusion detection systems (IDS) with SQL injection signature detection capabilities

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed access logging for the /add-apartment.php endpoint and related database operations
• Set up alerts for database queries with unusual syntax patterns or excessive data retrieval
• Monitor for authentication anomalies that could indicate successful exploitation
• Implement real-time security monitoring for the web application and underlying database server

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-3120

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict network access to the Apartment Visitors Management System to trusted networks only until patching is complete
• Implement input validation to reject any apartmentno values containing SQL metacharacters
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with SQL injection protection rules
• Review and audit all database queries within the application for similar injection vulnerabilities

Patch Information

At the time of publication, no official vendor patch has been released for this vulnerability. Organizations using the Apartment Visitors Management System should monitor the SourceCodester website for security updates. Additional vulnerability details can be found at VulDB #303011.

Given the public disclosure of this vulnerability and the lack of an official patch, organizations should prioritize implementing defensive mitigations and consider alternative solutions if the application is critical to operations.

Workarounds

• Implement prepared statements and parameterized queries throughout the application's database interaction code
• Apply strict input validation on the apartmentno parameter, allowing only alphanumeric characters and expected formats
• Disable or restrict access to the /add-apartment.php endpoint until proper security controls are implemented
• Consider implementing network segmentation to limit database server exposure

# Example: Restrict access to vulnerable endpoint via Apache .htaccess
<Files "add-apartment.php">
    Order Deny,Allow
    Deny from all
    Allow from 192.168.1.0/24
</Files>