CVE-2025-7165: Cyber Cafe Management System SQLi Flaw

CVE-2025-7165 Overview

A critical SQL Injection vulnerability has been identified in PHPGurukul Cyber Cafe Management System version 1.0. The vulnerability exists in the /forgot-password.php file, where improper handling of the email parameter allows attackers to inject malicious SQL commands. This flaw enables remote attackers to bypass authentication, extract sensitive data, or manipulate database contents without requiring any authentication.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this SQL Injection vulnerability to bypass authentication mechanisms, extract sensitive user data including credentials, and potentially gain unauthorized administrative access to the Cyber Cafe Management System.

Affected Products

• PHPGurukul Cyber Cafe Management System 1.0
• Campcodes Cyber Cafe Management System 1.0

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-07-08 - CVE-2025-7165 published to NVD
• 2025-07-08 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-7165

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability stems from improper input validation in the password recovery functionality of the Cyber Cafe Management System. The /forgot-password.php endpoint accepts user-supplied email addresses and directly incorporates them into SQL queries without proper sanitization or parameterization.

The attack can be executed remotely over the network without any prior authentication or user interaction. When exploited, an attacker can manipulate SQL queries to extract confidential information from the database, modify existing records, or bypass authentication controls entirely. The exploit for this vulnerability has been publicly disclosed, increasing the risk of widespread exploitation.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2025-7165 is the direct concatenation of user-supplied input (the email parameter) into SQL query strings without proper sanitization, escaping, or the use of prepared statements. This is classified under CWE-74 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component), which encompasses injection vulnerabilities where untrusted input is not properly handled before being processed by an interpreter.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for this vulnerability is network-based, allowing remote exploitation. An attacker can craft malicious HTTP requests to the /forgot-password.php endpoint with specially crafted SQL payloads in the email parameter.

The exploitation mechanism involves sending a POST request to the vulnerable endpoint with a malformed email value containing SQL metacharacters and commands. For example, an attacker might append SQL operators like ' OR 1=1-- to bypass validation logic, or use UNION-based injection techniques to extract data from other database tables including administrator credentials.

For detailed technical analysis and proof-of-concept information, refer to the GitHub Issue Discussion and VulDB Entry #315104.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-7165

Indicators of Compromise

• HTTP requests to /forgot-password.php containing SQL metacharacters such as single quotes, semicolons, double dashes, or UNION keywords in the email parameter
• Unusual database query errors or timeout events logged by the application server
• Evidence of data exfiltration attempts through error-based or time-based blind SQL injection techniques
• Anomalous login activity or unauthorized administrative access following password reset attempts

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in HTTP request parameters
• Configure application logging to capture all requests to /forgot-password.php with full parameter values for forensic analysis
• Deploy database activity monitoring to detect unusual query patterns, excessive data retrieval, or unauthorized schema enumeration
• Use intrusion detection systems with signatures for common SQL injection attack payloads

Monitoring Recommendations

• Monitor web server access logs for suspicious patterns targeting the /forgot-password.php endpoint
• Set up alerts for database errors related to malformed SQL queries originating from the web application
• Track failed and successful password reset attempts for anomalous patterns
• Implement real-time alerting for any direct database access attempts bypassing application controls

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-7165

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict access to the /forgot-password.php endpoint using firewall rules or web server configuration until a patch is available
• Implement input validation at the web server level to reject requests containing SQL injection patterns
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with SQL injection protection rules enabled
• Consider temporarily disabling the password recovery functionality if it is not business-critical
• Review database logs and application access logs for signs of prior exploitation

Patch Information

As of the last update on 2025-07-08, no official vendor patch has been released for CVE-2025-7165. Organizations using PHPGurukul Cyber Cafe Management System 1.0 should monitor the vendor's official channels for security updates. In the interim, implementing the workarounds and compensating controls described below is strongly recommended.

For ongoing updates and community discussion, refer to the VulDB submission #606372.

Workarounds

• Modify the /forgot-password.php file to use prepared statements with parameterized queries instead of direct string concatenation
• Implement server-side input validation to whitelist only valid email address formats before processing
• Add CAPTCHA or rate limiting to the password recovery form to slow down automated exploitation attempts
• Deploy network segmentation to isolate the database server from direct internet access
• Consider using a reverse proxy with built-in SQL injection filtering capabilities

# Apache .htaccess workaround to restrict access to vulnerable endpoint
<Files "forgot-password.php">
    Order Deny,Allow
    Deny from all
    # Allow only trusted IP ranges
    Allow from 192.168.1.0/24
</Files>