URGENT: Critical SQL Injection Flaw Exposes Student Information System 2.0 (CVE-2025-13240)

Overview

A high-severity SQL injection vulnerability, identified as CVE-2025-13240, has been discovered in the code-projects Student Information System 2.0. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands by manipulating the ‘s’ argument in the /searchquery.php file. With a CVSS score of 7.3, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to systems running the affected software. An exploit is publicly available, increasing the urgency for immediate mitigation.

Technical Details

The vulnerability resides in the /searchquery.php file of the Student Information System 2.0. Specifically, the application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input to the ‘s’ parameter. An attacker can craft a malicious SQL query within the ‘s’ parameter, which, when processed by the application, allows them to bypass security measures and potentially gain unauthorized access to sensitive data, modify existing records, or even compromise the entire database.

CVSS Analysis

The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) assigns a score of 7.3 (HIGH) to CVE-2025-13240. This score reflects the following factors:

• Attack Vector: Network (AV:N)
• Attack Complexity: Low (AC:L)
• Privileges Required: None (PR:N)
• User Interaction: None (UI:N)
• Scope: Changed (S:C)
• Confidentiality Impact: High (C:H)
• Integrity Impact: High (I:H)
• Availability Impact: High (A:H)

This indicates that the vulnerability can be exploited remotely with relative ease, without requiring any privileges or user interaction, potentially leading to complete compromise of the system.

Possible Impact

Successful exploitation of CVE-2025-13240 can have severe consequences, including:

• Data Breach: Unauthorized access to sensitive student information, including names, addresses, grades, and other personal details.
• Data Modification: Alteration of student records, potentially leading to incorrect grades or other fraudulent activities.
• System Compromise: Full control of the database server, allowing attackers to install malware or further compromise the system.
• Denial of Service (DoS): Disrupting the availability of the Student Information System for legitimate users.

Mitigation and Patch Steps

Given the severity of this vulnerability and the availability of a public exploit, immediate action is crucial. The following steps are recommended:

1. Apply the Patch: Immediately apply the official patch released by code-projects (if available). Check the code-projects.org website for updates.
2. Input Validation: Implement robust input validation and sanitization techniques in the /searchquery.php file and all other parts of the application that handle user input. Use parameterized queries or prepared statements to prevent SQL injection.
3. Web Application Firewall (WAF): Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to detect and block malicious SQL injection attempts.
4. Database Permissions: Review and restrict database user permissions to the minimum required for application functionality. Avoid using overly permissive accounts.
5. Monitor System Logs: Actively monitor system and application logs for suspicious activity, particularly related to SQL queries.
6. Disable Public Access (Temporary): If a patch is not immediately available, consider temporarily disabling public access to the Student Information System until the vulnerability can be addressed.

References

• code-projects.org – Official code-projects website.
• GitHub Exploit Link – Proof of concept exploit.
• VulDB Advisory – VulDB entry for CVE-2025-13240.
• VulDB Vulnerability Details – Detailed information on the vulnerability.
• VulDB Submit Link – (Assuming this is related to the CVE, leaving it as is).