CVE-2025-7170: Crime Reporting System SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2025-7170 Overview

A critical SQL injection vulnerability has been identified in code-projects Crime Reporting System version 1.0. This vulnerability affects the /registration.php file, where improper handling of the Name parameter allows attackers to inject malicious SQL queries. The attack can be executed remotely without authentication, potentially compromising the entire database backend of the affected crime reporting system.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this SQL injection vulnerability to extract sensitive data, modify database records, or potentially gain unauthorized access to the underlying system through the publicly accessible registration functionality.

Affected Products

• Code-projects Crime Reporting System 1.0
• Systems running the vulnerable /registration.php endpoint
• Web servers hosting unpatched versions of the Crime Reporting System

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-07-08 - CVE-2025-7170 published to NVD
• 2025-07-09 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-7170

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL injection vulnerability exists in the Crime Reporting System's user registration functionality. The /registration.php file fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input in the Name parameter before incorporating it into SQL queries. This classic injection flaw allows attackers to manipulate database queries by crafting malicious input that breaks out of the intended query structure.

The vulnerability is remotely exploitable and requires no prior authentication, making it particularly dangerous for publicly accessible installations. An attacker can leverage this flaw to bypass authentication mechanisms, extract sensitive information from the database including personally identifiable information (PII) related to crime reports, or modify existing records.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2025-7170 is improper input validation and the lack of parameterized queries in the registration functionality. The application directly concatenates user input from the Name field into SQL statements without proper sanitization or the use of prepared statements. This violates secure coding practices outlined in CWE-74 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component).

Attack Vector

The attack can be launched remotely over the network against any accessible instance of the Crime Reporting System. An attacker submits a specially crafted registration request containing SQL metacharacters in the Name parameter. The malicious payload is then executed against the backend database, allowing the attacker to perform unauthorized operations.

The vulnerability mechanism involves manipulation of the Name parameter in registration requests to /registration.php. Attackers can inject SQL syntax that alters the intended query logic, potentially enabling data extraction through UNION-based attacks, boolean-based blind injection, or time-based techniques. For detailed technical information about this vulnerability, refer to the GitHub Issue on CVE and VulDB #315109.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-7170

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual database queries containing SQL metacharacters such as single quotes, UNION statements, or comment sequences in web server logs
• Registration attempts with abnormally long or malformed Name parameter values
• Database error messages exposed in HTTP responses indicating query syntax errors
• Unexpected data extraction patterns or bulk database reads from the Crime Reporting System

Detection Strategies

• Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in the Name parameter and other input fields
• Monitor web server access logs for requests to /registration.php containing suspicious characters or SQL keywords
• Deploy database activity monitoring to identify anomalous query patterns or unauthorized data access
• Use intrusion detection systems (IDS) with signatures for SQL injection attack patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for the /registration.php endpoint and review logs for injection attempts
• Configure database audit logging to track queries executed against user tables
• Set up alerts for database errors or unusual query execution times that may indicate injection attempts
• Monitor for unauthorized changes to user records or crime report data

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-7170

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict public access to the /registration.php endpoint until a patch is applied
• Implement input validation to reject special characters in the Name parameter
• Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) with SQL injection protection rules
• Review database permissions to minimize the impact of potential SQL injection attacks

Patch Information

As of the last update on 2025-07-09, no official vendor patch has been released for this vulnerability. Organizations using the Crime Reporting System should monitor the Code Projects website for security updates. Given the critical nature of SQL injection vulnerabilities, implementing the workarounds below is essential until an official fix becomes available.

Workarounds

• Modify the /registration.php code to use parameterized queries or prepared statements instead of string concatenation
• Implement server-side input validation to whitelist acceptable characters for the Name field
• Deploy a WAF rule to filter requests containing SQL injection patterns targeting the registration endpoint
• Consider taking the registration functionality offline or implementing CAPTCHA and rate limiting to reduce automated exploitation

# WAF rule example for ModSecurity to block SQL injection in Name parameter
SecRule ARGS:Name "@detectSQLi" \
    "id:1001,\
    phase:2,\
    deny,\
    status:403,\
    msg:'SQL Injection attempt detected in Name parameter',\
    log,\
    auditlog"