CVE-2025-6869: Simple Company Website SQL Vulnerability

CVE-2025-6869 Overview

CVE-2025-6869 is a SQL injection vulnerability in SourceCodester Simple Company Website 1.0, developed by oretnom23. The flaw resides in the /admin/testimonials/manage.php script, where the ID parameter is passed to a database query without proper sanitization. Attackers with authenticated administrative access can manipulate the parameter to inject arbitrary SQL statements. The issue is tracked under CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component (Injection). A public proof of concept has been disclosed, increasing exposure risk for unpatched deployments.

Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers can execute arbitrary SQL queries against the backend database, exposing testimonial records and potentially other application data.

Affected Products

SourceCodester Simple Company Website 1.0
oretnom23 simple_company_website (CPE: cpe:2.3:a:oretnom23:simple_company_website:1.0)
Administrative module /admin/testimonials/manage.php

Discovery Timeline

2025-06-29 - CVE-2025-6869 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-6869

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the testimonials management endpoint of the application's admin panel. The manage.php script accepts an ID parameter from the HTTP request and concatenates it directly into a SQL query. The application performs no parameterization, type casting, or input validation on this value. Attackers can supply crafted SQL syntax to alter query logic, extract data from arbitrary tables, or enumerate the database schema.

The attack is exploitable over the network without user interaction, though it requires high privileges as the endpoint is part of the administrative interface. Successful exploitation impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability of database contents at a limited scope.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper neutralization of user-controlled input within a SQL statement [CWE-74]. The application constructs queries through string concatenation rather than using prepared statements with bound parameters. Any character permitted in the ID parameter, including single quotes, comments, and UNION operators, is passed directly to the database engine.

Attack Vector

An authenticated administrator-level account is required to reach the vulnerable endpoint. After authentication, the attacker issues a crafted HTTP request to /admin/testimonials/manage.php with a malicious ID value. Typical payloads include UNION-based extraction queries and boolean-based blind injection patterns. Refer to the GitHub PoC Issue and VulDB #314341 for technical specifics of the disclosed exploitation path.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-6869

Indicators of Compromise

HTTP requests to /admin/testimonials/manage.php containing SQL metacharacters such as ', --, UNION, or SLEEP( in the ID parameter
Unexpected database error messages returned in HTTP responses from the testimonials administrative endpoint
Anomalous outbound database queries originating from the web application service account

Detection Strategies

Inspect web server access logs for unusual ID parameter values targeting /admin/testimonials/manage.php
Deploy web application firewall rules that flag SQL injection signatures against the administrative path
Enable database query logging to identify malformed or unexpected SELECT, UNION, or information_schema queries

Monitoring Recommendations

Alert on repeated 500-series HTTP responses from the testimonials endpoint, which can indicate injection probing
Monitor administrative session activity for anomalous request patterns or off-hours access
Track database read volume from the application service account for sudden increases consistent with data exfiltration

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-6869

Immediate Actions Required

Restrict access to the /admin/ directory using network ACLs, IP allowlists, or VPN-only access
Rotate administrative credentials and enforce strong, unique passwords with multi-factor authentication on the admin panel
Audit the database for unauthorized modifications to the testimonials and adjacent tables
Review web server logs covering the period since deployment for prior exploitation attempts

Patch Information

No vendor patch has been published for SourceCodester Simple Company Website 1.0 at the time of NVD publication. Organizations should monitor the SourceCodester Security Resource for updates and consider migrating to a maintained alternative if a fix is not released.

Workarounds

Modify manage.php locally to cast the ID parameter to an integer before use in the SQL query
Replace inline query construction with prepared statements using PDO or MySQLi parameter binding
Place the application behind a web application firewall with SQL injection rule sets enabled
Disable the testimonials administrative module if it is not in active use

bash

# Example: enforce integer casting at the PHP layer as a temporary control
# Edit /admin/testimonials/manage.php
# Replace:  $id = $_GET['ID'];
# With:     $id = (int) ($_GET['ID'] ?? 0);
# Then use a prepared statement:
#   $stmt = $pdo->prepare('SELECT * FROM testimonials WHERE id = ?');
#   $stmt->execute([$id]);