CVE-2025-6901: Inventory Management System SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2025-6901 Overview

A SQL Injection vulnerability has been identified in code-projects Inventory Management System version 1.0. This vulnerability exists in the file /php_action/removeUser.php, where the userid parameter is improperly sanitized before being used in database queries. Attackers can exploit this flaw remotely to manipulate SQL queries, potentially leading to unauthorized data access, modification, or deletion. The exploit has been publicly disclosed and may be actively used.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can inject malicious SQL commands through the userid parameter to extract, modify, or delete database records without authentication, compromising the integrity and confidentiality of the inventory management system.

Affected Products

• code-projects Inventory Management System 1.0

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-06-30 - CVE-2025-6901 published to NVD
• 2025-07-08 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-6901

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL Injection vulnerability (CWE-74: Injection) occurs within the /php_action/removeUser.php endpoint of the Inventory Management System. The application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input in the userid parameter before incorporating it into SQL queries. This lack of input validation allows attackers to craft malicious input that alters the intended SQL query structure.

The vulnerability is accessible over the network without requiring any authentication or user interaction. Successful exploitation enables attackers to read sensitive data from the database, modify or delete records, and potentially execute administrative operations depending on database permissions.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is improper input validation and the absence of parameterized queries or prepared statements in the removeUser.php script. The userid parameter is directly concatenated into SQL queries without sanitization, escaping, or type validation, creating a classic SQL Injection attack surface.

Attack Vector

The attack is initiated remotely by sending a specially crafted HTTP request to the /php_action/removeUser.php endpoint. An attacker manipulates the userid parameter to include SQL syntax that modifies the query's logic. Common attack payloads include UNION-based attacks to extract data, boolean-based blind injection for data enumeration, or time-based blind injection for database fingerprinting.

The vulnerability can be exploited without authentication, as the affected endpoint does not appear to implement proper access controls. An attacker with network access to the application can craft malicious requests to exploit this flaw.

For technical details and proof-of-concept information, refer to the GitHub CVE Issue Discussion and VulDB #314393.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-6901

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual or malformed HTTP requests to /php_action/removeUser.php containing SQL syntax in the userid parameter
• Database error messages in application logs indicating syntax errors or unexpected query behavior
• Anomalous database queries in query logs containing UNION SELECT, OR 1=1, or other SQL injection patterns
• Unexpected data modifications or deletions in user-related database tables

Detection Strategies

• Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in HTTP requests
• Implement application-level input validation logging to identify requests with suspicious characters (quotes, semicolons, SQL keywords)
• Monitor database query logs for queries containing injection indicators such as commented sections, stacked queries, or UNION statements
• Configure intrusion detection systems to alert on requests targeting /php_action/removeUser.php with unusual payload sizes or patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging on the web server for requests to PHP endpoints, particularly those handling user management functions
• Implement database activity monitoring to track queries executed against user tables
• Set up real-time alerting for error rates or exceptions from the removeUser.php endpoint
• Review access logs regularly for patterns indicating automated exploitation attempts or scanning activity

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-6901

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict network access to the Inventory Management System to trusted IP ranges or internal networks only
• Implement Web Application Firewall rules to block requests containing SQL injection payloads targeting the userid parameter
• Disable or remove the /php_action/removeUser.php endpoint if user removal functionality is not critical
• Apply the principle of least privilege to the database user account used by the application, limiting permissions to only those required

Patch Information

No official vendor patch has been released at the time of this publication. Organizations using code-projects Inventory Management System 1.0 should monitor the Code Projects website for security updates. In the absence of an official patch, implementing the workarounds below is strongly recommended.

Workarounds

• Modify the source code of removeUser.php to use prepared statements or parameterized queries instead of direct string concatenation
• Implement server-side input validation to ensure the userid parameter contains only expected data types (e.g., integers)
• Deploy a reverse proxy or WAF with SQL injection filtering capabilities in front of the application
• Consider replacing the affected component with a more secure alternative if code modification is not feasible

# Example: Restrict access to the vulnerable endpoint using .htaccess
# Add to .htaccess in the web root directory

<Files "removeUser.php">
    Order Deny,Allow
    Deny from all
    # Allow only trusted admin IPs
    Allow from 192.168.1.0/24
</Files>