CVE-2025-57146: Phpgurukul Complaint Management SQLi

CVE-2025-57146 Overview

A SQL Injection vulnerability has been identified in phpgurukul Complaint Management System in PHP version 2.0. The vulnerability exists in the user/reset-password.php file and can be exploited via the mobileno parameter. This flaw allows unauthenticated attackers to inject malicious SQL queries, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive database information and modification of data.

Critical Impact

Attackers can exploit this SQL Injection vulnerability to extract sensitive user data, bypass authentication mechanisms, or modify database contents without requiring any privileges on the target system.

Affected Products

• phpgurukul Complaint Management System version 2.0
• PHP-based complaint management installations using the vulnerable reset-password.php endpoint

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-09-03 - CVE-2025-57146 published to NVD
• 2026-04-06 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-57146

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL Injection vulnerability (CWE-89) affects the password reset functionality within the phpgurukul Complaint Management System. The vulnerable endpoint user/reset-password.php fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input through the mobileno parameter before incorporating it into SQL queries. This lack of input validation allows attackers to inject arbitrary SQL statements that are then executed by the database server.

The vulnerability is particularly concerning because the password reset functionality is typically accessible to unauthenticated users, expanding the attack surface significantly. Successful exploitation could allow an attacker to dump database contents, modify user credentials, or potentially escalate to complete system compromise depending on database permissions.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is improper input validation and the failure to use parameterized queries or prepared statements when handling the mobileno parameter in the password reset functionality. The application directly concatenates user input into SQL queries without adequate sanitization, creating a classic SQL Injection attack vector.

Attack Vector

The vulnerability is exploitable over the network and requires user interaction. An attacker can craft a malicious request to the user/reset-password.php endpoint with a specially crafted mobileno parameter containing SQL injection payloads. The injection point allows for various SQL manipulation techniques including UNION-based attacks, boolean-based blind injection, and time-based blind injection depending on the database configuration.

The attack can be delivered through a crafted link sent to a victim or through direct manipulation of the password reset form. Since the vulnerability exists in the password reset functionality, it represents a high-value target for attackers seeking to compromise user accounts or extract sensitive information.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-57146

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual SQL error messages appearing in application logs from the password reset endpoint
• Suspicious requests to user/reset-password.php containing SQL metacharacters (single quotes, double dashes, semicolons, UNION keywords)
• Database query logs showing unexpected queries or data extraction attempts
• Multiple failed password reset attempts from the same source with varying payloads

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect SQL injection patterns in the mobileno parameter
• Monitor HTTP request logs for common SQL injection signatures targeting the reset-password.php endpoint
• Enable database audit logging to detect anomalous query patterns or unauthorized data access
• Deploy intrusion detection systems (IDS) with SQL injection signature rules

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure alerting for any requests to user/reset-password.php containing SQL metacharacters
• Monitor database query execution times for anomalies that may indicate time-based blind injection attempts
• Review application logs regularly for patterns indicating reconnaissance or exploitation attempts
• Implement rate limiting on the password reset endpoint to slow down automated injection attacks

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-57146

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict access to the user/reset-password.php endpoint until a patch can be applied
• Implement input validation on the mobileno parameter to accept only numeric characters
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with SQL injection protection rules
• Review database user permissions to minimize potential impact of successful exploitation
• Consider disabling the password reset functionality temporarily if it is not business-critical

Patch Information

No official vendor patch information is currently available. Organizations should monitor the GitHub CVE Documentation for updates and technical details about this vulnerability. Additional information may be available through the ClickUp Document linked in the CVE references.

Workarounds

• Implement input sanitization on the mobileno parameter to strip or escape SQL metacharacters
• Use prepared statements with parameterized queries if modifying the source code
• Deploy network-level filtering to block requests containing common SQL injection patterns
• Implement CAPTCHA or rate limiting on the password reset page to prevent automated exploitation
• Consider using a reverse proxy with SQL injection detection capabilities

# Example: Web server configuration to block suspicious requests
# Add to Apache .htaccess or httpd.conf for basic protection
<LocationMatch "reset-password\.php">
    # Block common SQL injection patterns
    RewriteEngine On
    RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} (\%27|\'|UNION|SELECT|INSERT|DROP|UPDATE|DELETE) [NC]
    RewriteRule .* - [F,L]
</LocationMatch>