CVE-2025-8270: Exam Form Submission SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2025-8270 Overview

A critical SQL injection vulnerability has been identified in code-projects Exam Form Submission version 1.0. The vulnerability exists in the /admin/delete_s2.php file, where improper handling of the ID argument allows attackers to inject malicious SQL queries. This flaw can be exploited remotely without authentication, potentially compromising the entire database backend of the application.

Critical Impact
Remote attackers can exploit this SQL injection vulnerability to manipulate database queries, potentially extracting sensitive student and exam data, modifying records, or compromising the underlying database server.

Affected Products

code-projects Exam Form Submission 1.0

Discovery Timeline

July 28, 2025 - CVE-2025-8270 published to NVD
July 30, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-8270

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL injection vulnerability arises from insufficient input validation in the administrative deletion functionality of the Exam Form Submission application. The /admin/delete_s2.php endpoint accepts an ID parameter that is directly incorporated into SQL queries without proper sanitization or parameterization. This allows attackers to craft malicious input that breaks out of the intended query structure and executes arbitrary SQL commands.

The vulnerability is classified under CWE-74 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component), which encompasses injection flaws where user-controlled input is incorporated into generated commands or queries without adequate validation.

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 in the deletion endpoint. The application appears to concatenate user-supplied input directly into SQL query strings, enabling injection attacks. This is a common coding mistake in PHP applications that interact with databases, particularly when developers use legacy database access methods without modern security practices.

Attack Vector

The attack can be initiated remotely over the network. An attacker with network access to the administrative interface can send specially crafted HTTP requests to the /admin/delete_s2.php endpoint with a malicious ID parameter value. The injected SQL payload would then be executed by the database server with the privileges of the application's database user.

Typical exploitation scenarios include:

Data Extraction: Using UNION-based or blind SQL injection techniques to extract database contents
Authentication Bypass: Manipulating queries to bypass access controls
Data Manipulation: Inserting, updating, or deleting records in the database
Privilege Escalation: Potentially gaining access to other database schemas or system-level access depending on database configuration

The exploit has been publicly disclosed, increasing the risk of active exploitation. For technical details, see the GitHub Issue Discussion and VulDB #317859.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-8270

Indicators of Compromise

Unusual HTTP requests to /admin/delete_s2.php containing SQL syntax characters such as single quotes, semicolons, or SQL keywords (UNION, SELECT, DROP)
Database error messages appearing in server logs or application responses indicating malformed queries
Unexpected database queries in database audit logs, particularly those containing suspicious payloads
Signs of data exfiltration or unauthorized database modifications

Detection Strategies

Configure web application firewalls (WAF) to detect and block SQL injection patterns targeting the ID parameter
Enable database query logging and monitor for anomalous query patterns or error rates
Implement intrusion detection system (IDS) rules to identify SQL injection attack signatures in HTTP traffic
Review web server access logs for requests to /admin/delete_s2.php with abnormally long or suspicious parameter values

Monitoring Recommendations

Deploy real-time monitoring on the /admin/ directory for unauthorized or suspicious access patterns
Set up alerts for database errors that may indicate injection attempts
Monitor for unusual outbound network traffic that could indicate data exfiltration following successful exploitation
Implement application performance monitoring to detect query execution anomalies

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-8270

Immediate Actions Required

Restrict network access to the administrative interface (/admin/) to trusted IP addresses only
Consider taking the vulnerable application offline until a patch is available or custom fixes can be applied
Implement a web application firewall (WAF) with SQL injection protection rules as an interim measure
Review database logs for any signs of prior exploitation and assess potential data compromise

Patch Information

As of the last update on July 30, 2025, no official vendor patch has been released for this vulnerability. Organizations using code-projects Exam Form Submission should monitor the Code Projects website for security updates. Given the nature of code-projects as a repository of educational and sample code, users may need to implement their own fixes.

For custom remediation, the vulnerable code in /admin/delete_s2.php should be modified to use parameterized queries (prepared statements) instead of direct string concatenation for SQL query construction.

Workarounds

Implement input validation to ensure the ID parameter contains only numeric values before processing
Deploy a reverse proxy or WAF rule to filter malicious characters from the ID parameter
Restrict database user privileges to limit the impact of potential SQL injection exploitation
Consider replacing the affected functionality with secure, parameterized query implementations

bash

# Example WAF rule for ModSecurity to block SQL injection attempts
SecRule ARGS:ID "@detectSQLi" \
    "id:100001,\
    phase:2,\
    deny,\
    status:403,\
    msg:'SQL Injection attempt blocked on ID parameter',\
    log,\
    auditlog"