CVE-2025-4925: Daily Expense Tracker System SQLi Flaw

CVE-2025-4925 Overview

CVE-2025-4925 is a SQL injection vulnerability in PHPGurukul Daily Expense Tracker System 1.1. The flaw resides in the /expense-monthwise-reports-detailed.php script, where the fromdate and todate parameters are passed directly into a database query without proper sanitization. Attackers can manipulate these parameters to inject arbitrary SQL statements. The vulnerability is exploitable remotely over the network and requires no authentication or user interaction. Public disclosure of the exploit details increases the risk of opportunistic attacks against exposed instances. The issue is tracked under CWE-89 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command) and CWE-74 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output).

Critical Impact
Unauthenticated remote attackers can inject SQL through the fromdate and todate parameters of expense-monthwise-reports-detailed.php, exposing the underlying database to read and modification attacks.

Affected Products

PHPGurukul Daily Expense Tracker System version 1.1
Deployments using the expense-monthwise-reports-detailed.php reporting module
Installations exposing the application to untrusted networks

Discovery Timeline

2025-05-19 - CVE-2025-4925 published to NVD
2025-05-21 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-4925

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability exists in the monthwise expense reporting feature of PHPGurukul Daily Expense Tracker System 1.1. The expense-monthwise-reports-detailed.php script accepts user-supplied values through the fromdate and todate request parameters. These values are concatenated directly into an SQL query that filters expense records by date range. Because the application does not validate, escape, or parameterize the input, attackers can break out of the original query context. The exploit can be triggered with a single crafted HTTP request, and no credentials are required. Public disclosure of proof-of-concept material on the GitHub Issue Tracker lowers the barrier for adversaries seeking to weaponize the flaw.

Root Cause

The root cause is the absence of prepared statements or parameterized queries in the reporting logic. User input from fromdate and todate is treated as trusted data and concatenated into the SQL string. PHP's mysqli or PDO parameter binding is not used for these inputs, leaving the query open to injection. This is a classic CWE-89 pattern in PHP applications that rely on string interpolation.

Attack Vector

An attacker sends a crafted GET or POST request to /expense-monthwise-reports-detailed.php and supplies SQL syntax inside the fromdate or todate parameter. Typical payloads use boolean conditions, UNION SELECT statements, or time-based functions such as SLEEP() to confirm injection. Once injection is confirmed, the attacker can enumerate database schemas, extract user credentials and expense records, modify stored data, or use database functions to read local files where permissions allow.

No verified exploit code is published in the references. See the VulDB advisory and the GitHub Issue Tracker for additional technical detail.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-4925

Indicators of Compromise

HTTP requests to /expense-monthwise-reports-detailed.php containing SQL meta-characters such as ', ", --, ;, UNION, SELECT, or SLEEP inside the fromdate or todate parameters.
Web server access logs showing unusually long query strings or repeated requests with date parameters that do not match expected YYYY-MM-DD formats.
Database error messages referencing syntax errors near user-controlled values, particularly from the expense reporting endpoint.

Detection Strategies

Deploy web application firewall (WAF) rules that match SQL injection signatures against the fromdate and todate parameters of the reporting script.
Enable database query logging and alert on queries containing unexpected UNION, INFORMATION_SCHEMA, or sleep-based payloads originating from the expense tracker application user.
Correlate spikes in 500-level HTTP responses from expense-monthwise-reports-detailed.php with subsequent successful 200 responses carrying large payloads, which may indicate successful exfiltration.

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward web server, application, and database logs to a centralized analytics platform and retain them for at least 90 days.
Baseline normal request patterns for the reporting endpoint and alert on parameter values that deviate from expected date formats.
Monitor outbound database connections and table read volumes for anomalous bulk reads of user or expense tables.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-4925

Immediate Actions Required

Restrict access to /expense-monthwise-reports-detailed.php to trusted IP ranges or place the application behind authentication and a WAF.
Audit web and database logs for prior exploitation attempts against the fromdate and todate parameters and rotate any credentials that may have been exposed.
Disable the monthwise reporting feature if it is not required until a fix is applied.

Patch Information

No vendor patch is referenced in the NVD entry at the time of publication. Administrators should monitor the PHPGurukul website and the GitHub Issue Tracker for an official update. Until a patched release is available, mitigations should be applied at the application and infrastructure layers.

Workarounds

Modify the affected PHP source to use parameterized queries via PDO::prepare() or mysqli_prepare() with bound parameters for fromdate and todate.
Add server-side input validation that rejects any value not matching the YYYY-MM-DD date pattern before the value reaches the database layer.
Apply WAF rules that block requests to the reporting endpoint when parameters contain SQL keywords or non-date characters.
Run the database account used by the application with the minimum privileges required, removing FILE, DROP, and administrative rights.

bash

# Example ModSecurity rule to block SQLi attempts against the vulnerable endpoint
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@contains /expense-monthwise-reports-detailed.php" \
    "phase:2,chain,deny,status:403,id:1004925,msg:'CVE-2025-4925 SQLi attempt'"
    SecRule ARGS:fromdate|ARGS:todate "!@rx ^[0-9]{4}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{2}$" \
        "t:none"