CVE-2025-9021: Online Bank Management System SQLi Flaw

CVE-2025-9021 Overview

A SQL injection vulnerability has been identified in SourceCodester Online Bank Management System up to version 1.0. This vulnerability exists in the /bank/transfer.php file, where improper handling of the email parameter allows attackers to inject malicious SQL queries. The attack can be initiated remotely without authentication, potentially enabling unauthorized access to the database, data exfiltration, and manipulation of banking records.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated remote attackers can exploit the SQL injection vulnerability in the banking transfer functionality to access, modify, or delete sensitive financial data stored in the database.

Affected Products

• SourceCodester Online Bank Management System version 1.0
• oretnom23 online_bank_management_system

Discovery Timeline

• August 15, 2025 - CVE-2025-9021 published to NVD
• August 21, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-9021

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-74 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component), commonly manifesting as SQL injection. The vulnerable endpoint /bank/transfer.php processes user-supplied input through the email parameter without adequate sanitization or parameterized query implementation. When user input containing SQL metacharacters is submitted, the application directly concatenates this input into SQL queries, allowing attackers to modify query logic and execute arbitrary database commands.

The network-accessible nature of this vulnerability means any remote attacker can target the vulnerable endpoint without requiring prior authentication or user interaction. Successful exploitation could lead to confidentiality breaches through data extraction, integrity violations through record modification, and availability impacts through data deletion or database corruption.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2025-9021 lies in the application's failure to implement proper input validation and parameterized queries in the transfer.php file. The email parameter is directly incorporated into SQL statements without escaping special characters or using prepared statements. This is a common coding practice error in PHP applications where user input is concatenated directly into database queries rather than using PDO prepared statements or mysqli parameterized queries.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, allowing unauthenticated remote exploitation. An attacker can craft malicious HTTP requests to the /bank/transfer.php endpoint with specially crafted SQL injection payloads in the email parameter. The exploitation flow involves:

1. Identifying the vulnerable endpoint at /bank/transfer.php
2. Crafting SQL injection payloads designed to manipulate the query structure
3. Submitting the malicious request via HTTP POST or GET methods
4. Extracting data, modifying records, or escalating privileges based on database permissions

The vulnerability can be exploited using standard SQL injection techniques such as UNION-based injection for data extraction, boolean-based blind injection for inferential attacks, or time-based blind injection when no direct output is visible.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-9021

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual database queries containing SQL metacharacters such as single quotes, UNION statements, or comment sequences in application logs
• Multiple failed or anomalous requests to /bank/transfer.php with varying email parameter values
• Database errors or exceptions logged that indicate malformed SQL queries
• Evidence of data exfiltration or unauthorized account modifications in banking records

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in HTTP parameters
• Monitor application logs for requests containing SQL keywords (SELECT, UNION, INSERT, DELETE) in the email parameter
• Deploy database activity monitoring to detect anomalous query patterns or unauthorized data access
• Configure intrusion detection systems to alert on SQL injection attack signatures targeting PHP applications

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging on the web server for all requests to /bank/transfer.php
• Implement real-time alerting for database errors related to SQL syntax exceptions
• Monitor for bulk data access patterns that could indicate successful exploitation and data exfiltration
• Review authentication logs for any signs of privilege escalation following SQL injection attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-9021

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict access to /bank/transfer.php using network-level controls or authentication requirements until a patch is applied
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall with SQL injection protection rules enabled
• Implement input validation on the email parameter to reject malicious characters and patterns
• Review and audit all database accounts used by the application for least privilege compliance

Patch Information

No official vendor patch has been released at the time of publication. Organizations using SourceCodester Online Bank Management System version 1.0 should monitor the SourceCodester website for security updates. Additional vulnerability details are available through VulDB.

Workarounds

• Implement prepared statements with parameterized queries in the affected transfer.php file to prevent SQL injection
• Deploy input validation that strictly validates email format using regular expressions before database operations
• Restrict database user permissions to minimum required privileges, preventing DROP and DELETE operations if not required
• Implement a Web Application Firewall to filter malicious requests before they reach the application

# Example Apache configuration to restrict access to vulnerable endpoint
<Location /bank/transfer.php>
    # Temporarily restrict access until patched
    Order deny,allow
    Deny from all
    # Allow only trusted internal networks
    Allow from 10.0.0.0/8
    Allow from 192.168.0.0/16
</Location>