CVE-2025-8156 Overview
CVE-2025-8156 is a SQL injection vulnerability in PHPGurukul User Registration & Login and User Management System version 3.3. The flaw resides in the /admin/lastsevendays-reg-users.php script, where the ID parameter is incorporated into a SQL query without proper sanitization. Remote attackers with low-privilege authenticated access can manipulate this parameter to alter query logic. The exploit details have been disclosed publicly, increasing the risk of opportunistic abuse. The issue is tracked under [CWE-89] (SQL Injection) and [CWE-74] (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output).
Critical Impact
Authenticated remote attackers can manipulate the ID parameter in /admin/lastsevendays-reg-users.php to inject arbitrary SQL, potentially exposing or modifying user registration data.
Affected Products
- PHPGurukul User Registration & Login and User Management System 3.3
- Deployments exposing /admin/lastsevendays-reg-users.php
- Web stacks running unpatched PHPGurukul codebases
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-07-25 - CVE-2025-8156 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-8156
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability exists in the administrative reporting page lastsevendays-reg-users.php, which lists users registered within the last seven days. The script accepts an ID parameter from the request and concatenates it directly into a SQL statement. Because the application does not enforce parameterized queries or input validation, an attacker can break out of the intended query context and append arbitrary SQL clauses.
Exploitation requires network access to the admin interface and a low-privilege authenticated session. Successful injection can expose user records, modify stored data, or be chained with UNION-based payloads to enumerate the underlying database schema. EPSS data indicates a relatively low predicted exploitation probability, but public disclosure of the technique lowers the barrier for opportunistic attackers.
Root Cause
The root cause is improper neutralization of special characters in the ID request parameter before it reaches the SQL interpreter. PHPGurukul builds the query through string concatenation rather than prepared statements, so attacker-controlled characters such as single quotes, comments, and SQL keywords pass directly into the query plan.
Attack Vector
The attack is network-reachable and does not require user interaction. An authenticated administrator session interacts with the vulnerable endpoint by submitting a crafted ID value. A typical exploitation flow appends a boolean condition or UNION SELECT payload to the ID parameter in a GET or POST request to /admin/lastsevendays-reg-users.php. Public references list the proof-of-concept on the GitHub Issue Report and VulDB Entry #317570.
No verified exploit code is published in a curated repository. See the linked advisories for technical specifics rather than synthetic samples.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-8156
Indicators of Compromise
- Web server access logs containing requests to /admin/lastsevendays-reg-users.php with SQL metacharacters such as ', --, UNION, or SLEEP( in the ID parameter.
- Database error messages referencing syntax errors originating from the lastsevendays-reg-users.php script.
- Unusual spikes in queries against the user registration tables outside normal administrative hours.
Detection Strategies
- Deploy web application firewall (WAF) signatures targeting SQL injection patterns on the admin path.
- Inspect PHP error logs and MySQL general query logs for anomalous statements referencing the ID parameter.
- Correlate authenticated admin sessions with parameter tampering attempts using SIEM rules mapped to [CWE-89].
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable verbose request logging on the /admin/ directory and forward to a centralized SIEM for retention and analysis.
- Monitor outbound database traffic for unexpected INFORMATION_SCHEMA queries originating from the web tier.
- Alert on repeated HTTP 500 responses from lastsevendays-reg-users.php, which often indicate injection probing.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-8156
Immediate Actions Required
- Restrict network access to the /admin/ interface using IP allowlists or VPN-only access until a fix is applied.
- Audit administrator accounts and rotate credentials, since exploitation requires authenticated access.
- Review recent database activity for signs of unauthorized data access or modification.
Patch Information
No vendor patch is referenced in the available advisories. Operators should monitor the PHP Gurukul vendor site and the VulDB CTI entry for updated guidance. Where source modification is feasible, refactor the query in lastsevendays-reg-users.php to use parameterized statements via mysqli_prepare() or PDO with bound parameters.
Workarounds
- Apply server-side input validation that rejects non-numeric values for the ID parameter before it reaches database code.
- Place a WAF rule in blocking mode for SQL injection signatures targeting /admin/lastsevendays-reg-users.php.
- Disable or remove the affected reporting page if the seven-day registration view is not operationally required.
# Example WAF rule (ModSecurity) blocking SQLi in the ID parameter
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@beginsWith /admin/lastsevendays-reg-users.php" \
"chain,phase:2,deny,status:403,id:1008156,msg:'CVE-2025-8156 SQLi attempt'"
SecRule ARGS:ID "@detectSQLi" "t:none,t:urlDecode"
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