CVE-2025-8253: Exam Form Submission SQL Injection Flaw

CVE-2025-8253 Overview

A critical SQL injection vulnerability has been identified in code-projects Exam Form Submission version 1.0. The vulnerability exists in the file /admin/delete_s6.php where the ID parameter is improperly handled, allowing attackers to inject malicious SQL statements. This flaw enables remote attackers to manipulate database queries without authentication, potentially leading to unauthorized data access, modification, or deletion.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this SQL injection vulnerability to bypass authentication, extract sensitive data, modify or delete database records, and potentially achieve further system compromise through database-level attacks.

Affected Products

• code-projects Exam Form Submission 1.0

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-07-28 - CVE-2025-8253 published to NVD
• 2025-07-31 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-8253

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL injection vulnerability in the Exam Form Submission application stems from improper handling of user-supplied input in the administrative deletion functionality. The /admin/delete_s6.php endpoint accepts an ID parameter that is directly incorporated into SQL queries without adequate sanitization or parameterization. This allows attackers to craft malicious input that alters the intended SQL query logic.

The vulnerability is classified under CWE-89 (SQL Injection) and CWE-74 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component). The exploit has been publicly disclosed, increasing the risk of exploitation in the wild.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is the failure to implement proper input validation and parameterized queries (prepared statements) when processing the ID parameter. The application directly concatenates user-supplied input into SQL statements, allowing attackers to inject arbitrary SQL code. This represents a fundamental secure coding failure where untrusted input is treated as trusted database commands.

Attack Vector

The attack can be initiated remotely over the network without requiring authentication or user interaction. An attacker can manipulate the ID parameter in HTTP requests to the /admin/delete_s6.php endpoint. By injecting SQL metacharacters and malicious SQL statements, the attacker can:

• Extract sensitive data from the database using UNION-based or error-based injection techniques
• Modify or delete existing database records
• Bypass authentication mechanisms
• Potentially execute system commands if database permissions allow

The vulnerability mechanism involves injecting SQL syntax through the ID parameter. For example, an attacker might append SQL statements like ' OR '1'='1 or use more sophisticated payloads to extract data or manipulate query behavior. Technical details and proof-of-concept information can be found in the GitHub Issue CVE-ZhuChengQing and VulDB #317841.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-8253

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual or malformed requests to /admin/delete_s6.php containing SQL metacharacters such as single quotes, double dashes, or UNION keywords
• Error messages in application logs revealing SQL syntax errors or database structure information
• Unexpected database query patterns in database audit logs
• Anomalous data access or modification patterns targeting administrative tables

Detection Strategies

• Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in the ID parameter
• Enable detailed logging on the /admin/delete_s6.php endpoint and monitor for suspicious parameter values
• Deploy intrusion detection systems (IDS) with signatures for common SQL injection payloads
• Utilize database activity monitoring to detect unauthorized queries or data exfiltration attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Review web server access logs for requests to /admin/delete_s6.php with unusual parameter lengths or encoded characters
• Monitor database logs for failed authentication attempts or syntax errors that may indicate injection attempts
• Set up alerts for high-frequency requests to administrative endpoints from single IP addresses
• Implement real-time monitoring for database queries that deviate from expected application behavior

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-8253

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict access to the /admin/delete_s6.php endpoint through network-level controls or authentication requirements
• Implement input validation to whitelist only numeric values for the ID parameter
• Deploy a web application firewall with SQL injection protection rules
• If feasible, take the vulnerable application offline until a patch can be applied

Patch Information

No official vendor patch information is currently available for this vulnerability. Organizations using code-projects Exam Form Submission 1.0 should contact the vendor through the Code Projects Resource Hub for remediation guidance. Monitor the VulDB entry for updates on available fixes.

Workarounds

• Implement parameterized queries (prepared statements) in the vulnerable PHP file to prevent SQL injection
• Add strict input validation to ensure the ID parameter contains only expected numeric values
• Apply the principle of least privilege to database accounts used by the application
• Consider using a web application firewall to filter malicious requests until a proper code fix is implemented
• Restrict network access to the administrative interface to trusted IP addresses only

The recommended approach for developers is to refactor the database interaction code to use prepared statements with bound parameters. This ensures that user input is treated as data rather than executable SQL code.