CVE-2025-9473: Online Bank Management System SQLi Flaw

CVE-2025-9473 Overview

A SQL injection vulnerability has been identified in SourceCodester Online Bank Management System version 1.0. This security flaw impacts the /feedback.php file, where improper handling of the msg argument allows attackers to inject malicious SQL queries. The vulnerability can be exploited remotely without authentication, potentially allowing unauthorized access to sensitive banking data, manipulation of database records, or extraction of confidential information.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this SQL injection vulnerability to access, modify, or delete sensitive banking information stored in the application's database without requiring authentication.

Affected Products

• SourceCodester Online Bank Management System 1.0
• oretnom23 online_bank_management_system

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-08-26 - CVE-2025-9473 published to NVD
• 2025-09-02 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-9473

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL injection vulnerability exists in the feedback functionality of the Online Bank Management System. The application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input in the msg parameter before incorporating it into SQL queries. This classic injection flaw allows attackers to break out of the intended query context and execute arbitrary SQL commands against the backend database.

The vulnerability is particularly concerning in a banking application context, as successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to customer account information, transaction records, and other sensitive financial data. The attack requires no authentication, making it accessible to any remote attacker with network access to the vulnerable endpoint.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is insufficient input validation and lack of parameterized queries in the /feedback.php file. The application directly concatenates user input from the msg argument into SQL queries without proper sanitization or prepared statements. This violates secure coding principles and creates an injection point that attackers can leverage to manipulate database operations.

Attack Vector

The attack can be initiated remotely over the network. An attacker sends crafted HTTP requests to the /feedback.php endpoint with malicious SQL code embedded in the msg parameter. Since no authentication is required to access this functionality, any remote attacker can attempt exploitation.

The exploitation involves injecting SQL syntax through the msg parameter to manipulate the underlying database query. Attackers may use techniques such as UNION-based injection to extract data, boolean-based blind injection to infer database contents, or time-based blind injection to exfiltrate information. The exploit has been publicly disclosed, increasing the risk of widespread exploitation attempts.

For technical details on the vulnerability mechanism, refer to the GitHub Vulnerability Documentation.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-9473

Indicators of Compromise

• HTTP requests to /feedback.php containing SQL syntax characters such as single quotes, double dashes, or UNION keywords in the msg parameter
• Abnormal database query patterns or errors in application logs
• Unexpected database access patterns or data exfiltration attempts
• Web application firewall alerts for SQL injection signatures targeting the feedback endpoint

Detection Strategies

• Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in requests to /feedback.php
• Monitor application logs for SQL syntax errors or unusual query execution times that may indicate injection attempts
• Deploy intrusion detection systems (IDS) with signatures for common SQL injection payloads
• Review database audit logs for unauthorized queries or suspicious data access patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for all requests to the /feedback.php endpoint
• Configure alerts for requests containing common SQL injection characters and keywords
• Monitor database query execution times for anomalies that may indicate time-based blind SQL injection
• Implement real-time security monitoring to detect exploitation attempts as they occur

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-9473

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict access to the /feedback.php endpoint until a patch is applied
• Implement web application firewall rules to filter SQL injection attempts targeting the vulnerable parameter
• Consider disabling the feedback functionality temporarily if it is not business-critical
• Review database permissions to limit potential impact of successful exploitation

Patch Information

No official vendor patch has been identified in the available CVE data. Organizations using SourceCodester Online Bank Management System 1.0 should contact the vendor for security updates or consider implementing the workarounds below. Monitor the SourceCodester Resource Hub for potential updates.

For additional vulnerability details, see VulDB #321342.

Workarounds

• Implement input validation to reject any SQL metacharacters in the msg parameter
• Use prepared statements with parameterized queries in the application code to prevent SQL injection
• Deploy a web application firewall configured to block SQL injection attempts
• Restrict network access to the vulnerable application to trusted IP addresses only
• Consider implementing additional authentication requirements for the feedback functionality

# Example WAF rule for blocking SQL injection in feedback parameter
# ModSecurity rule to block common SQL injection patterns
SecRule ARGS:msg "@rx (?i)(union.*select|select.*from|insert.*into|delete.*from|drop.*table|--|'.*or.*')" \
    "id:100001,phase:2,deny,status:403,msg:'SQL Injection Attempt Blocked'"