CVE-2025-3243: Patient Record Management System SQLi Flaw

CVE-2025-3243 Overview

CVE-2025-3243 is a SQL injection vulnerability in code-projects Patient Record Management System 1.0. The flaw resides in the /dental_form.php endpoint, where the itr_no and dental_no parameters are passed unsanitized into a backend SQL query. A remote attacker holding low-privilege credentials can manipulate either parameter to alter query logic, read arbitrary database records, or modify stored patient data. The exploit has been publicly disclosed, increasing the likelihood of opportunistic exploitation against exposed installations. The weakness is tracked under [CWE-74] (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component).

Critical Impact

Remote authenticated attackers can inject arbitrary SQL through itr_no or dental_no parameters in /dental_form.php, exposing patient records and enabling data tampering.

Affected Products

• code-projects Patient Record Management System 1.0
• Deployments using the vulnerable /dental_form.php script
• Any forks or derivative projects reusing the same query logic

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-04-04 - CVE-2025-3243 published to NVD
• 2025-05-28 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-3243

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability exists in the request handling logic of /dental_form.php in the Patient Record Management System. The script accepts user-controlled itr_no and dental_no parameters and concatenates them directly into a SQL statement without parameterization or input sanitization. An attacker submitting crafted values causes the database engine to execute attacker-controlled SQL clauses alongside the original query.

Exploitation requires network access to the application and a low-privilege session, but no user interaction. Successful injection allows attackers to enumerate database schemas, extract patient personally identifiable information (PII), modify treatment records, or escalate impact through stacked queries depending on the database driver configuration. The EPSS probability remains low, but public disclosure of exploitation details lowers the technical barrier for attackers.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing input validation and the absence of prepared statements in the database access layer of /dental_form.php. The application trusts client-supplied request parameters and embeds them in dynamic SQL strings. This pattern matches [CWE-74] improper neutralization of special elements, specifically the SQL injection subclass.

Attack Vector

The attack is delivered over the network against the HTTP interface of the application. An authenticated user submits a request to /dental_form.php with malicious SQL payloads in the itr_no or dental_no parameters. The vulnerability does not require user interaction or elevated privileges beyond standard application access. Technical details are referenced in the VulDB Entry #303269 and the GitHub CVE Repository.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-3243

Indicators of Compromise

• HTTP requests to /dental_form.php containing SQL metacharacters such as ', ", --, UNION, or SLEEP( in the itr_no or dental_no parameters
• Unexpected database errors logged by the application or PHP error logs originating from dental_form.php
• Anomalous outbound data volume from the database host correlated with web requests to the dental form endpoint
• New or modified rows in patient or treatment tables that do not correspond to legitimate application workflows

Detection Strategies

• Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) ruleset that inspects query string and POST parameters for SQL injection patterns targeting /dental_form.php
• Enable database query logging and alert on queries containing tautologies (OR 1=1), comment sequences, or UNION SELECT constructs originating from the application user
• Correlate authentication logs with abnormal request rates to the dental form endpoint to surface credentialed abuse

Monitoring Recommendations

• Forward web server access logs and PHP error logs to a centralized log platform for retention and search
• Baseline normal parameter values for itr_no and dental_no and alert on non-numeric or oversized inputs
• Monitor for repeated 500-series HTTP responses from /dental_form.php, which often indicate injection probing

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-3243

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict network exposure of the Patient Record Management System to trusted internal networks or VPN users until a fix is applied
• Apply WAF rules that block SQL metacharacters in the itr_no and dental_no parameters of /dental_form.php
• Audit recent database activity and authentication logs for signs of injection or unauthorized data access
• Rotate application and database credentials if compromise is suspected

Patch Information

No official vendor patch has been published for code-projects Patient Record Management System 1.0 at the time of NVD publication. Operators should track the Code Projects website and the VulDB CTI Report #303269 for vendor updates. In the interim, administrators must apply source-level remediation by replacing concatenated SQL statements in /dental_form.php with parameterized queries using PDO or MySQLi prepared statements, and by validating that itr_no and dental_no are strictly numeric before use.

Workarounds

• Modify /dental_form.php to cast itr_no and dental_no to integers with intval() before constructing the SQL query
• Refactor the affected query to use prepared statements with bound parameters
• Apply principle of least privilege to the database account used by the application, removing DROP, ALTER, and FILE permissions
• Disable or remove /dental_form.php if the dental form functionality is not required by the deployment

# Example hardening: enforce numeric input and prepared statements in dental_form.php
# Replace vulnerable concatenation with PDO prepared statement
$itr_no = filter_input(INPUT_GET, 'itr_no', FILTER_VALIDATE_INT);
$dental_no = filter_input(INPUT_GET, 'dental_no', FILTER_VALIDATE_INT);
if ($itr_no === false || $dental_no === false) { http_response_code(400); exit; }
$stmt = $pdo->prepare('SELECT * FROM dental WHERE itr_no = :itr AND dental_no = :dno');
$stmt->execute([':itr' => $itr_no, ':dno' => $dental_no]);