CVE-2025-4706: Online Examination System SQL Injection

CVE-2025-4706 Overview

A critical SQL injection vulnerability has been identified in Projectworlds Online Examination System version 1.0. This vulnerability affects the file /Procedure3b_yearwiseVisit.php where the Visit_year parameter is improperly handled, allowing attackers to inject malicious SQL commands. The attack can be initiated remotely without authentication, and the exploit has been publicly disclosed.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can remotely exploit this SQL injection vulnerability to extract, modify, or delete sensitive data from the application's database, potentially compromising student records, examination results, and administrative credentials.

Affected Products

• Projectworlds Online Examination System 1.0

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-05-15 - CVE-2025-4706 published to NVD
• 2025-08-28 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-4706

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation in the /Procedure3b_yearwiseVisit.php file. The Visit_year parameter is directly incorporated into SQL queries without proper sanitization or parameterization. This classic SQL injection flaw allows attackers to manipulate database queries by injecting malicious SQL code through user-controlled input.

The vulnerability is classified under CWE-89 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command) and CWE-74 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component). These classifications indicate that user input is being improperly processed before being used in database operations.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is the direct concatenation of user-supplied input (Visit_year parameter) into SQL queries without utilizing prepared statements or parameterized queries. The application fails to properly escape or validate the input, treating all user-supplied data as trusted content that can be directly embedded into database commands.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, requiring no authentication or user interaction. An attacker can craft malicious HTTP requests to the /Procedure3b_yearwiseVisit.php endpoint, manipulating the Visit_year parameter to inject arbitrary SQL statements. This could allow the attacker to:

• Extract sensitive data from the database (data exfiltration)
• Modify or delete examination records and student information
• Bypass authentication mechanisms
• Potentially escalate privileges within the application
• In some configurations, execute operating system commands through database functions

The vulnerability mechanism involves injecting SQL metacharacters (such as single quotes, semicolons, and SQL keywords) through the Visit_year parameter. When the application constructs and executes the SQL query, the injected code is interpreted as part of the database command rather than as data. For detailed technical information, refer to the GitHub Issue Discussion and VulDB entry #309004.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-4706

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual database queries containing SQL injection patterns such as UNION SELECT, OR 1=1, or comment sequences (--, /**/)
• HTTP requests to /Procedure3b_yearwiseVisit.php with suspicious Visit_year parameter values containing SQL metacharacters
• Database error messages appearing in web server logs indicating malformed SQL syntax
• Unexpected database access patterns or bulk data retrieval from examination-related tables

Detection Strategies

• Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in the Visit_year parameter
• Configure intrusion detection systems (IDS) to alert on requests containing common SQL injection payloads targeting the affected endpoint
• Enable database query logging and monitor for anomalous or malformed queries originating from the web application
• Implement application-layer monitoring for requests to /Procedure3b_yearwiseVisit.php with parameter lengths or character sets outside normal bounds

Monitoring Recommendations

• Review web server access logs for repeated requests to /Procedure3b_yearwiseVisit.php from single IP addresses
• Monitor database audit logs for unauthorized SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE operations on sensitive tables
• Set up alerts for database errors indicating SQL syntax issues, which may indicate active exploitation attempts
• Track failed authentication attempts that may indicate attackers leveraging extracted credentials

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-4706

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict network access to the Online Examination System to trusted IP ranges only
• Implement WAF rules to filter SQL injection payloads targeting the Visit_year parameter
• Consider taking the application offline until a patch can be applied
• Review database logs for evidence of past exploitation and assess data integrity

Patch Information

No official vendor patch has been released at this time. Organizations using Projectworlds Online Examination System 1.0 should contact the vendor for security updates or consider implementing the workarounds below. Monitor the VulDB entry for updates regarding remediation.

Workarounds

• Implement input validation on the Visit_year parameter to accept only expected formats (e.g., four-digit numeric values)
• Modify the application code to use prepared statements with parameterized queries for all database operations
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with SQL injection detection rules in front of the application
• Restrict database user permissions to the minimum required for application functionality
• Isolate the database server from direct internet access and limit connections to the application server only

# Example WAF rule for ModSecurity to block SQL injection attempts
SecRule ARGS:Visit_year "@detectSQLi" \
    "id:100001,\
    phase:2,\
    block,\
    msg:'SQL Injection attempt detected in Visit_year parameter',\
    log,\
    severity:'CRITICAL'"