CVE-2025-3685: Patient Record Management System SQLi Flaw

CVE-2025-3685 Overview

CVE-2025-3685 is a SQL injection vulnerability in code-projects Patient Record Management System 1.0. The flaw resides in the /edit_fpatient.php script, where the ID parameter is passed directly into a SQL query without sanitization. Remote attackers with low-privileged access can manipulate the ID argument to inject arbitrary SQL statements. The exploit details have been disclosed publicly, increasing the likelihood of opportunistic abuse against exposed instances. The vulnerability is tracked under [CWE-74] (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component).

Critical Impact
Remote attackers can read, modify, or delete sensitive patient records by injecting SQL into the ID parameter of /edit_fpatient.php.

Affected Products

code-projects Patient Record Management System 1.0
Component: /edit_fpatient.php
CPE: cpe:2.3:a:code-projects:patient_record_management_system:1.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

Discovery Timeline

2025-04-16 - CVE-2025-3685 published to NVD
2025-05-28 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-3685

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability exists in the edit_fpatient.php endpoint of the Patient Record Management System. The application accepts the ID query parameter and concatenates it directly into a SQL statement used to retrieve or update patient records. Because the parameter is not validated, escaped, or bound through a prepared statement, an attacker can append arbitrary SQL syntax to the query. Successful exploitation gives access to confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the underlying database.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper neutralization of special elements passed to a downstream SQL interpreter [CWE-74]. The ID argument is treated as trusted input and is interpolated into a query string rather than being passed as a parameterized value. The application also lacks server-side type checking that would constrain ID to a numeric value.

Attack Vector

The attack is performed remotely over HTTP. An authenticated user with low privileges can submit a crafted request to /edit_fpatient.php?ID=<payload> where <payload> contains SQL metacharacters such as ', UNION SELECT, or boolean-based blind injection patterns. Standard offensive tooling such as sqlmap can automate enumeration of databases, tables, and data exfiltration. No user interaction is required beyond submitting the malicious request.

No verified public exploit code is available. Technical analysis is published in the GitHub CVE Analysis Document and the VulDB Record #304974.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-3685

Indicators of Compromise

HTTP requests to /edit_fpatient.php containing SQL metacharacters such as ', ", --, ;, UNION, SELECT, or SLEEP( in the ID parameter.
Web server logs showing repeated requests to edit_fpatient.php with incrementing or boolean-based payloads in ID.
Unexpected database errors or MySQL warnings written to application or web server logs.
Outbound queries from the database host to attacker-controlled infrastructure following requests to the vulnerable endpoint.

Detection Strategies

Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules that block SQL injection signatures targeting the ID query parameter on /edit_fpatient.php.
Enable database query logging and alert on queries containing unusual UNION SELECT, INFORMATION_SCHEMA, or time-based functions originating from the application user.
Review PHP error logs for mysql_error or mysqli_error output triggered by malformed input.

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward web server access logs and database audit logs to a centralized SIEM for correlation.
Alert on bursts of HTTP 500 responses from edit_fpatient.php that may indicate injection probing.
Monitor authenticated sessions for anomalous request rates against patient record endpoints.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-3685

Immediate Actions Required

Restrict network access to the Patient Record Management System to trusted clinical networks or VPN only.
Place the application behind a WAF configured to block SQL injection payloads against /edit_fpatient.php.
Audit the database account used by the application and remove privileges beyond what the workflow requires.
Review database and web logs for prior indicators of exploitation against the ID parameter.

Patch Information

No official vendor patch is referenced in the published advisories. Organizations running code-projects Patient Record Management System 1.0 should monitor the Code Projects Resource Hub for updates. Until a fix is issued, source-level remediation requires replacing dynamic SQL in edit_fpatient.php with parameterized queries using PDO prepared statements or mysqli_prepare with bound parameters, and enforcing numeric validation on the ID argument.

Workarounds

Apply input validation that rejects any ID value that is not a positive integer before the query is constructed.
Configure the database user to use a read-only or least-privilege role where possible to limit injection impact.
Disable verbose database error messages in production by setting display_errors = Off in php.ini.
Consider taking the application offline if it is internet-exposed until parameterized queries are implemented across all endpoints.

bash

# Example PHP remediation pattern using PDO prepared statements
# Replace dynamic concatenation in edit_fpatient.php with:
#   $stmt = $pdo->prepare("SELECT * FROM patients WHERE id = :id");
#   $stmt->bindValue(':id', (int)$_GET['ID'], PDO::PARAM_INT);
#   $stmt->execute();