CVE-2025-9155: Online Tour & Travel Management SQLi Flaw

CVE-2025-9155 Overview

A SQL injection vulnerability has been discovered in itsourcecode Online Tour and Travel Management System version 1.0. The vulnerability exists in the /user/forget_password.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 by injecting malicious SQL code through the email argument.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this SQL injection vulnerability to extract sensitive data, modify database contents, or potentially gain unauthorized access to the underlying system without authentication.

Affected Products

• Mayurik Online Tour & Travel Management System 1.0

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-08-19 - CVE-2025-9155 published to NVD
• 2025-08-21 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-9155

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-74 (Injection), specifically manifesting as a SQL injection flaw in the password recovery functionality of the Online Tour and Travel Management System. The vulnerable endpoint /user/forget_password.php accepts user-supplied input through the email parameter without proper validation or sanitization before incorporating it into database queries.

SQL injection vulnerabilities of this nature allow attackers to inject arbitrary SQL commands that get executed by the database engine. In the context of a password recovery mechanism, this is particularly concerning as it handles sensitive user authentication data. The attack requires no authentication or user interaction, making it highly accessible to potential attackers.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is improper input validation and the lack of parameterized queries (prepared statements) in the password recovery functionality. The email parameter from user input is directly concatenated into SQL queries without sanitization, escaping, or the use of prepared statements. This allows attackers to break out of the intended query structure and inject their own SQL commands.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, requiring no authentication or special privileges. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability remotely by sending crafted HTTP requests to the /user/forget_password.php endpoint with malicious SQL code embedded in the email parameter. The exploit has been publicly disclosed, increasing the risk of widespread exploitation.

The vulnerability can be exploited by manipulating the email parameter to include SQL metacharacters and commands. A typical attack would involve crafting an email parameter value that terminates the legitimate query and appends malicious SQL statements, such as UNION-based attacks for data extraction or time-based blind injection for enumeration.

For technical details on the exploitation method, refer to the GitHub Issue Discussion where the vulnerability was disclosed.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-9155

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual HTTP requests to /user/forget_password.php containing SQL metacharacters (single quotes, double dashes, semicolons, UNION keywords) in the email parameter
• Database error messages appearing in web server logs or responses indicating SQL syntax errors
• Unexpected database queries or data access patterns in database audit logs
• Multiple requests from the same IP targeting the forget_password endpoint with varying payloads

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in the email parameter of requests to /user/forget_password.php
• Deploy intrusion detection system (IDS) signatures for common SQL injection attack patterns targeting PHP applications
• Enable detailed logging on the web application to capture all requests to the password recovery endpoint
• Monitor database query logs for anomalous queries originating from the web application

Monitoring Recommendations

• Set up real-time alerting for requests containing SQL injection patterns targeting the vulnerable endpoint
• Implement rate limiting on the /user/forget_password.php endpoint to slow down automated exploitation attempts
• Configure database activity monitoring to detect unusual data access or extraction patterns
• Review web server access logs regularly for suspicious activity targeting the password recovery functionality

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-9155

Immediate Actions Required

• Remove or disable the /user/forget_password.php endpoint if not critical to operations until a fix can be applied
• Implement input validation to restrict the email parameter to valid email format only
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with SQL injection protection rules as an interim mitigation
• Review and audit all user-supplied input points in the application for similar vulnerabilities

Patch Information

No official vendor patch has been identified at this time. Organizations using this software should contact the vendor through IT Source Code for remediation guidance. Additional vulnerability details are available in the VulDB CTI Report.

Workarounds

• Implement parameterized queries (prepared statements) in the vulnerable code to prevent SQL injection
• Add server-side input validation to ensure the email parameter contains only valid email characters and format
• Deploy a reverse proxy or WAF configured to filter SQL injection attempts targeting the application
• Restrict network access to the application to trusted IP ranges if public access is not required

# Example WAF rule for ModSecurity to block SQL injection in email parameter
SecRule ARGS:email "@detectSQLi" \
    "id:1001,\
    phase:2,\
    deny,\
    status:403,\
    log,\
    msg:'SQL Injection attempt detected in email parameter',\
    tag:'attack-sqli'"