CVE-2025-7147: Patient Record Management System SQLi Flaw

CVE-2025-7147 Overview

A SQL injection vulnerability has been discovered in CodeAstro Patient Record Management System version 1.0. The vulnerability affects the /login.php file, where improper handling of the uname parameter allows attackers to inject malicious SQL commands. This flaw enables remote attackers to manipulate database queries without requiring authentication, potentially compromising sensitive patient healthcare data.

Critical Impact

This SQL injection vulnerability in a healthcare system login page could allow unauthorized access to protected health information (PHI), patient records, and administrative credentials. The attack requires no authentication and can be executed remotely.

Affected Products

• CodeAstro Patient Record Management System 1.0

Discovery Timeline

• July 7, 2025 - CVE-2025-7147 published to NVD
• July 9, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-7147

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability represents a classic SQL injection flaw stemming from inadequate input sanitization in the authentication mechanism. The /login.php endpoint accepts user-supplied input through the uname parameter without proper validation or parameterization. When a user submits login credentials, the application directly concatenates the username value into a SQL query string, creating an injection point that attackers can exploit.

The network-accessible nature of this vulnerability makes it particularly concerning for healthcare environments. An attacker can craft malicious input that alters the intended SQL query logic, potentially bypassing authentication entirely, extracting sensitive database contents, or modifying patient records. Healthcare systems are high-value targets due to the sensitive nature of protected health information (PHI) they contain.

Root Cause

The root cause is classified as CWE-74 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component), commonly referred to as Injection. The application fails to sanitize or parameterize user input before incorporating it into SQL queries. This allows special SQL characters and commands submitted through the uname field to be interpreted as part of the query structure rather than as literal data values.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, requiring no prior authentication or user interaction. An attacker can remotely target the vulnerable login endpoint by submitting crafted payloads through the username field. The exploitation technique involves injecting SQL syntax that modifies query behavior—such as commenting out password validation, extracting data via UNION-based queries, or leveraging time-based blind injection techniques to enumerate database contents.

The vulnerability affects the login authentication flow, meaning successful exploitation could grant immediate unauthorized access to the application. Given the healthcare context, this could expose patient demographics, medical histories, treatment records, and administrative credentials stored in the database.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-7147

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual login attempts containing SQL syntax characters such as single quotes ('), double dashes (--), semicolons (;), or UNION SELECT statements in the username field
• Database error messages appearing in web server logs indicating malformed SQL queries
• Unexpected database query patterns or elevated query volumes against authentication tables
• Access logs showing repeated requests to /login.php with abnormal parameter lengths or encoded payloads

Detection Strategies

• Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block common SQL injection patterns in form submissions
• Implement database activity monitoring to identify anomalous query behavior, unauthorized data access, or privilege escalation attempts
• Configure intrusion detection systems (IDS) with signatures for SQL injection attack patterns targeting authentication endpoints
• Enable detailed logging on the /login.php endpoint to capture and analyze all authentication attempt parameters

Monitoring Recommendations

• Monitor web server access logs for requests containing URL-encoded SQL injection payloads targeting the uname parameter
• Set up alerts for database authentication failures followed by successful logins, which may indicate successful injection attacks
• Review database audit logs for queries that deviate from expected authentication query patterns
• Implement anomaly detection for login page traffic volumes and request characteristics

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-7147

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict network access to the Patient Record Management System to trusted IP ranges or VPN connections only
• Implement input validation on the uname parameter to reject special characters used in SQL injection attacks
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall with SQL injection protection rules in front of the application
• Enable database query logging and monitor for anomalous activity indicating exploitation attempts
• Consider taking the application offline until a proper fix can be implemented if it contains sensitive patient data

Patch Information

No vendor patch is currently available from CodeAstro for this vulnerability. Organizations should monitor the CodeAstro website for security updates. Additional technical details can be found in the GitHub Project Documentation and VulDB advisory #315085.

Workarounds

• Modify the /login.php source code to use prepared statements with parameterized queries instead of string concatenation for database operations
• Implement server-side input validation that strictly allows only alphanumeric characters in the username field
• Add a Web Application Firewall layer to filter malicious SQL injection payloads before they reach the application
• Implement network segmentation to isolate the healthcare application from direct internet access
• Apply the principle of least privilege to the database user account used by the application, restricting it to only necessary operations

# Example WAF rule for ModSecurity to block SQL injection in login forms
SecRule ARGS:uname "@rx (?i)(union.*select|insert.*into|delete.*from|drop.*table|'.*or.*'|--|\;)" \
    "id:100001,phase:2,deny,status:403,log,msg:'SQL Injection attempt detected in uname parameter'"