CVE-2025-4074: Curfew E-pass Management System SQLi Flaw

CVE-2025-4074 Overview

A critical SQL injection vulnerability has been identified in PHPGurukul Curfew e-Pass Management System version 1.0. The vulnerability exists within the administrative interface, specifically in the file /admin/pass-bwdates-report.php, where the fromdate and todate parameters are not properly sanitized before being used in SQL queries. This allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary SQL commands and potentially gain unauthorized access to the underlying database.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this SQL injection vulnerability to extract sensitive data, modify database contents, or potentially achieve further system compromise through the administrative report generation functionality.

Affected Products

• PHPGurukul Curfew e-Pass Management System 1.0
• Administrative report generation module (/admin/pass-bwdates-report.php)

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-04-29 - CVE-2025-4074 published to NVD
• 2025-05-09 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-4074

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the date-based report generation functionality of the administrative panel. The /admin/pass-bwdates-report.php endpoint accepts fromdate and todate parameters that are intended to filter e-Pass records by date range. However, due to insufficient input validation and lack of parameterized queries, user-supplied input is directly concatenated into SQL statements.

This SQL injection vulnerability allows attackers to manipulate database queries executed by the application. Since the vulnerable endpoint is located within the admin directory, successful exploitation could provide access to administrative data, user credentials, e-Pass records, and other sensitive information stored in the database. The network-accessible nature of this vulnerability means it can be exploited remotely without requiring prior authentication to the system.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is the failure to implement proper input sanitization and parameterized queries (prepared statements) when handling the fromdate and todate input parameters. The application directly incorporates user-controlled input into SQL queries without adequate validation or escaping, allowing attackers to break out of the intended query structure and inject malicious SQL code.

This represents a classic CWE-89 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command) vulnerability compounded by CWE-74 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component).

Attack Vector

The attack is network-based and can be executed remotely. An attacker would craft malicious HTTP requests to the /admin/pass-bwdates-report.php endpoint, injecting SQL payloads through either the fromdate or todate parameters. The exploit has been publicly disclosed, increasing the risk of exploitation in the wild.

The vulnerability can be exploited by manipulating date input fields to include SQL syntax that alters the query logic. For example, an attacker could inject UNION-based queries to extract data from other tables, or use time-based blind injection techniques to enumerate database contents. Technical details regarding the exploitation method are available in the GitHub Issue Discussion.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-4074

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual SQL error messages in application or web server logs related to /admin/pass-bwdates-report.php
• HTTP requests to the vulnerable endpoint containing SQL keywords or special characters in date parameters (e.g., ', --, UNION, SELECT, OR 1=1)
• Unexpected database queries or data access patterns originating from the web application
• Evidence of database enumeration or bulk data extraction attempts

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in request parameters targeting the affected endpoint
• Monitor application logs for repeated failed requests or error responses from /admin/pass-bwdates-report.php
• Deploy database activity monitoring to identify anomalous queries such as UNION-based injections or time-delay techniques
• Use intrusion detection systems (IDS) with SQL injection signature rules

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for all administrative endpoints and review logs regularly for suspicious activity
• Configure alerting for any SQL syntax errors logged by the application server
• Monitor for unusual data access patterns or bulk record retrievals from the e-Pass database
• Track authentication attempts and access patterns to the admin panel

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-4074

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict access to the /admin/pass-bwdates-report.php endpoint to trusted IP addresses only until a patch is available
• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to filter SQL injection attempts
• Review and audit access logs for signs of exploitation
• Consider temporarily disabling the vulnerable report generation feature if not critical to operations

Patch Information

At the time of this publication, no official vendor patch has been released for this vulnerability. Organizations using PHPGurukul Curfew e-Pass Management System 1.0 should monitor the PHP Gurukul Homepage for security updates and patch releases. Additional vulnerability intelligence is available through VulDB #306511.

Workarounds

• Implement parameterized queries (prepared statements) in the vulnerable PHP file to properly sanitize fromdate and todate inputs
• Add server-side input validation to ensure date parameters conform to expected date format patterns (e.g., YYYY-MM-DD)
• Deploy network-level access controls to restrict administrative endpoint access to authorized personnel only
• Consider using a reverse proxy with SQL injection filtering capabilities

# Example .htaccess access restriction for admin directory
<Directory "/path/to/webroot/admin">
    Order Deny,Allow
    Deny from all
    Allow from 192.168.1.0/24
    # Replace with your trusted admin IP range
</Directory>