Overview
CVE-2025-13586 describes a medium-severity SQL injection vulnerability found in SourceCodester Online Student Clearance System version 1.0. This flaw allows a remote attacker to potentially execute arbitrary SQL commands on the system’s database, potentially leading to data breaches, modification, or deletion. The vulnerability resides within the /Admin/changepassword.php file and is triggered by manipulating the txtconfirm_password argument.
Technical Details
The vulnerability lies in the insufficient sanitization of user-supplied input within the /Admin/changepassword.php script. Specifically, the txtconfirm_password parameter, intended for confirming a new password, is not properly validated or escaped before being used in a SQL query. An attacker can inject malicious SQL code into this parameter, which will then be executed by the database server.
Example of potential attack vector:
/Admin/changepassword.php?txtconfirm_password='; DROP TABLE users;--
This crafted input, if successful, would attempt to delete the ‘users’ table from the database.
CVSS Analysis
- CVSS Score: 4.7 (MEDIUM)
- Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
This CVSS score reflects the following factors:
- Attack Vector (AV:N): Network. The vulnerability can be exploited remotely.
- Attack Complexity (AC:H): High. Exploitation requires some level of skill and knowledge of SQL.
- Privileges Required (PR:N): None. No specific user privileges are needed to trigger the vulnerability.
- User Interaction (UI:R): Required. The user needs to be tricked into performing an action.
- Scope (S:U): Unchanged. An exploited vulnerability remains in the same authority.
- Confidentiality Impact (C:L): Low. Limited information disclosure.
- Integrity Impact (I:L): Low. Limited data modification.
- Availability Impact (A:N): None. No impact on system availability.
Possible Impact
Successful exploitation of this SQL injection vulnerability could lead to several negative consequences:
- Data Breach: Sensitive information, such as user credentials (usernames, passwords), student records, and administrative data, could be compromised.
- Data Manipulation: Attackers could modify or delete data within the database, leading to inaccurate records and system instability.
- Account Takeover: An attacker could potentially gain access to administrative accounts, granting them full control over the system.
- System Compromise: In some cases, SQL injection can be leveraged to execute arbitrary code on the server, leading to complete system compromise.
Mitigation or Patch Steps
To address this vulnerability, the following steps are recommended:
- Input Validation: Implement robust input validation on the
txtconfirm_passwordparameter in/Admin/changepassword.php. Restrict the input to the expected format and length. - Prepared Statements: Use parameterized queries or prepared statements to prevent SQL injection. This separates the SQL code from the data, making it impossible for an attacker to inject malicious code.
- Escaping User Input: Properly escape all user-supplied input before using it in SQL queries. Use database-specific escaping functions.
- Web Application Firewall (WAF): Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to detect and block SQL injection attacks.
- Update System: Upgrade to a patched version of the SourceCodester Online Student Clearance System if one becomes available. Contact SourceCodester for official patches.
