CVE-2025-13585: Critical SQL Injection Vulnerability Plagues COVID Tracking System 1.0

Overview

CVE-2025-13585 is a high-severity SQL injection vulnerability discovered in the COVID Tracking System version 1.0, developed by code-projects. This vulnerability allows a remote attacker to inject malicious SQL code into the system, potentially leading to unauthorized data access, modification, or deletion. The vulnerability is located in the /login.php file and is triggered through manipulation of the code argument. A public exploit is currently available, increasing the risk of exploitation.

Technical Details

The vulnerability resides within the /login.php script of the COVID Tracking System 1.0. The application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input within the code parameter before using it in an SQL query. This lack of sanitization allows an attacker to inject arbitrary SQL code into the query. Specifically, an attacker can craft a malicious code value containing SQL operators and commands to bypass authentication or extract sensitive information directly from the database.

CVSS Analysis

The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) v3.1 score for CVE-2025-13585 is 7.3 (HIGH):

• Base Score: 7.3
• Vector String: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N

This score reflects the following characteristics:

• Attack Vector (AV:N): Network – The vulnerability can be exploited over the network.
• Attack Complexity (AC:L): Low – The vulnerability is easy to exploit.
• Privileges Required (PR:N): None – No privileges are required to exploit the vulnerability.
• User Interaction (UI:N): None – No user interaction is required to exploit the vulnerability.
• Scope (S:U): Unchanged – An exploited vulnerability cannot affect resources beyond the security scope managed by the security authority.
• Confidentiality (C:H): High – There is a high impact on confidentiality. Sensitive information can be accessed.
• Integrity (I:L): Low – There is a low impact on integrity. Data can be modified.
• Availability (A:N): None – There is no impact on availability.

Possible Impact

Successful exploitation of this SQL injection vulnerability could have severe consequences, including:

• Data Breach: Attackers could gain unauthorized access to sensitive data stored in the database, such as user credentials, personal information, and potentially even COVID-19 related data.
• Account Takeover: Attackers could bypass authentication mechanisms and gain control of administrator or user accounts.
• Data Manipulation: Attackers could modify or delete data within the database, leading to data corruption or denial of service.
• System Compromise: In some cases, depending on the database server configuration, attackers might be able to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system.

Given that a public exploit exists, the risk of exploitation is significantly increased.

Mitigation and Patch Steps

To mitigate the risk posed by CVE-2025-13585, the following steps are recommended:

1. Immediate Patching: If a patch or updated version of the COVID Tracking System 1.0 is available from code-projects, apply it immediately. This is the most effective way to address the vulnerability.
2. Input Sanitization: Implement robust input sanitization and validation on all user-supplied data, especially the code parameter in /login.php. Use parameterized queries or prepared statements to prevent SQL injection.
3. Web Application Firewall (WAF): Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to filter out malicious requests targeting the SQL injection vulnerability. Configure the WAF with rules to detect and block common SQL injection attack patterns.
4. Database Permissions: Ensure that the database user account used by the application has the minimum necessary privileges. Limit access to only the required tables and operations.
5. Regular Security Audits: Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing to identify and address vulnerabilities in the application.
6. Disable the application: If patching or mitigating is not immediately possible, consider disabling the application until a fix can be implemented.

References

• code-projects.org – Vendor Website
• github.com/beamyou/CVE/issues/4 – Proof of Concept Exploit
• vuldb.com/?ctiid.333349 – VulDB Entry
• vuldb.com/?id.333349 – VulDB Entry
• vuldb.com/?submit.699840 – VulDB Information Submission