CVE-2025-5654: PHPGurukul CMS SQL Injection Vulnerability

CVE-2025-5654 Overview

CVE-2025-5654 is a SQL injection vulnerability in PHPGurukul Complaint Management System 2.0. The flaw resides in the /admin/edit-state.php script, where the description parameter is passed to a database query without proper sanitization. Authenticated attackers can manipulate the parameter to inject arbitrary SQL statements. The vulnerability is exploitable remotely over the network and has been publicly disclosed.

The weakness is classified under [CWE-74] (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component). Exploitation can lead to unauthorized read, modification, or deletion of records stored in the application database.

Critical Impact
Authenticated remote attackers can inject SQL through the description parameter of /admin/edit-state.php to read or alter complaint database contents.

Affected Products

PHPGurukul Complaint Management System 2.0
Component: /admin/edit-state.php
Vulnerable parameter: description

Discovery Timeline

2025-06-05 - CVE-2025-5654 published to NVD
2025-06-10 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-5654

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability exists in the administrative state-editing functionality of PHPGurukul Complaint Management System 2.0. The edit-state.php script accepts user-controlled input through the description parameter and concatenates it directly into a SQL query. Because the application does not use parameterized queries or escape input, an attacker can break out of the intended SQL context and append arbitrary clauses.

The attack requires low privileges, indicating an authenticated administrative session is needed. The attack complexity is low and no user interaction is required. Successful exploitation impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability at limited scope, allowing read access to other tables, modification of stored records, or denial of service through resource-intensive queries.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper neutralization of special characters in SQL statements. The application embeds the description POST parameter directly into a query string instead of binding it as a prepared-statement parameter. Standard SQL injection payloads using single quotes, UNION SELECT, or stacked queries are sufficient to alter query semantics.

Attack Vector

An attacker with administrative panel access submits a crafted value in the description field of the state editing form. The malicious payload is sent over the network through a standard HTTP POST request to /admin/edit-state.php. The injected SQL executes under the privileges of the application database user, exposing complaint data and administrative records. Further technical context is available in the GitHub Issue #43 Discussion and VulDB #311144 entries.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-5654

Indicators of Compromise

HTTP POST requests to /admin/edit-state.php containing SQL metacharacters such as ', --, UNION, or SLEEP( in the description parameter.
Web server access logs showing repeated requests to the state-edit endpoint from a single source within a short interval.
Database error messages referencing syntax errors near unexpected tokens originating from the complaint management application.

Detection Strategies

Deploy web application firewall rules that inspect POST bodies submitted to /admin/edit-state.php for SQL injection patterns.
Enable verbose database query logging and alert on queries containing suspicious UNION, INFORMATION_SCHEMA, or time-delay functions originating from the application user.
Correlate authentication events with administrative endpoint activity to identify session abuse following credential compromise.

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward web server and PHP error logs to a centralized logging platform for retention and analysis.
Monitor outbound database traffic for unexpected query volumes or data exfiltration patterns from the application host.
Alert on administrative logins from unusual geolocations or outside business hours.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-5654

Immediate Actions Required

Restrict access to /admin/ to trusted IP addresses using web server access controls until a fix is deployed.
Rotate administrative credentials and review session tokens to limit unauthorized authenticated access.
Audit the tblcomplaint and state-related tables for unauthorized modifications and recent administrative activity.

Patch Information

No vendor patch is currently referenced in the NVD entry. Refer to the PHP Gurukul Security Resource for vendor updates and the VulDB CTI ID #311144 advisory for tracking. Until an official patch is available, organizations should apply compensating controls or replace edit-state.php query logic with prepared statements using mysqli_prepare or PDO bound parameters.

Workarounds

Place the application behind a web application firewall configured with SQL injection signatures targeting the description parameter.
Restrict the database user to least-privilege permissions, removing DROP, ALTER, and cross-database SELECT rights.
Disable the affected state-editing functionality if it is not required for daily operations.
Implement server-side input validation that rejects SQL metacharacters in administrative form submissions.

bash

# Example WAF ModSecurity rule blocking SQLi patterns on the affected endpoint
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@streq /admin/edit-state.php" \
  "id:1005654,phase:2,deny,status:403,\
   chain,msg:'CVE-2025-5654 SQLi attempt blocked'"
  SecRule ARGS:description "@rx (?i)(union\s+select|sleep\(|--|';)" \
    "t:none,t:urlDecodeUni"