CVE-2025-7171: Crime Reporting System SQL Injection Flaw

CVE-2025-7171 Overview

A critical SQL injection vulnerability has been discovered in code-projects Crime Reporting System version 1.0. The vulnerability exists in the /policelogin.php file, where the email parameter is not properly sanitized before being used in SQL queries. This flaw allows remote attackers to manipulate database queries through specially crafted input, potentially leading to unauthorized data access, modification, or deletion.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit the SQL injection vulnerability to bypass authentication, extract sensitive data from the database, modify records, or potentially gain unauthorized access to the underlying system.

Affected Products

• Code-projects Crime Reporting System 1.0
• Applications using the vulnerable /policelogin.php component

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-07-08 - CVE-2025-7171 published to NVD
• 2025-07-09 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-7171

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL injection vulnerability occurs due to insufficient input validation in the police login functionality of the Crime Reporting System. The email parameter in /policelogin.php is directly incorporated into SQL queries without proper sanitization or parameterized query implementation. Attackers can exploit this by injecting malicious SQL statements through the email field during the login process.

The vulnerability is classified under CWE-74 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component), indicating that user-supplied input is not adequately neutralized before being passed to the database engine. The exploit has been publicly disclosed, increasing the risk of active exploitation.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is the failure to implement secure coding practices for database interactions. The application directly concatenates user input from the email parameter into SQL query strings without using prepared statements, parameterized queries, or input validation mechanisms. This allows special SQL characters and commands to be interpreted by the database engine rather than being treated as literal data.

Attack Vector

The attack can be launched remotely over the network without requiring authentication or user interaction. An attacker targets the /policelogin.php endpoint and submits a crafted payload in the email parameter. The malicious SQL statements are then executed by the database, allowing the attacker to:

• Bypass authentication mechanisms
• Extract sensitive data from the database
• Modify or delete database records
• Potentially escalate to further system compromise

The vulnerability affects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the system, though each impact is rated as low severity individually.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-7171

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual SQL error messages in application logs originating from /policelogin.php
• Abnormal patterns in the email parameter including SQL syntax such as single quotes, UNION SELECT, OR 1=1, or comment sequences (--, /*)
• Unexpected database queries or access patterns in database audit logs
• Failed login attempts with malformed email addresses containing SQL keywords

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in HTTP POST requests to /policelogin.php
• Enable detailed logging for the Crime Reporting System application and monitor for SQL-related errors
• Deploy intrusion detection systems (IDS) with signatures for common SQL injection attack patterns
• Regularly review access logs for suspicious activity targeting authentication endpoints

Monitoring Recommendations

• Monitor database query logs for anomalous queries or unauthorized data access attempts
• Set up alerts for multiple failed authentication attempts containing special characters
• Implement real-time log analysis to detect SQL injection attack signatures
• Track changes to database records that may indicate successful exploitation

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-7171

Immediate Actions Required

• Take the Crime Reporting System offline or restrict access until the vulnerability is patched
• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to filter SQL injection attacks targeting /policelogin.php
• Review database logs for signs of exploitation and assess potential data compromise
• Restrict network access to the application to trusted IP addresses only

Patch Information

As of the last NVD update on 2025-07-09, no official patch has been released by the vendor. Organizations using Code-projects Crime Reporting System 1.0 should monitor the Code Projects website for security updates. Additional technical details are available in the GitHub CVE Issue Discussion and VulDB entry #315110.

Workarounds

• Implement input validation to restrict the email parameter to valid email format only
• Modify the application code to use prepared statements or parameterized queries for all database interactions
• Deploy a reverse proxy with SQL injection filtering capabilities in front of the application
• Consider disabling the police login functionality until a permanent fix is available

# Example WAF rule to block SQL injection patterns (ModSecurity)
SecRule ARGS:email "@rx (?i)(union|select|insert|update|delete|drop|--|;|')" \
    "id:1001,phase:2,deny,status:403,msg:'SQL Injection attempt blocked'"