CVE-2025-3971
📋 TL;DR
This critical SQL injection vulnerability in PHPGurukul COVID19 Testing Management System 1.0 allows attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via the empid parameter in /add-phlebotomist.php. Attackers can remotely exploit this to access, modify, or delete database content. Organizations using this specific version of the COVID19 testing management system are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- PHPGurukul COVID19 Testing Management System
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete database compromise leading to theft of sensitive medical data (patient records, test results), system takeover, or data destruction
Likely Case
Data exfiltration of patient information and administrative credentials, potentially leading to further system compromise
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper input validation and database permissions, though system integrity may still be at risk
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploit details are publicly available on GitHub, making this easily exploitable by attackers with basic SQL injection knowledge
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Unknown
Vendor Advisory: https://phpgurukul.com/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
No official patch available. Consider migrating to a supported, secure alternative or implementing workarounds.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Input Validation and Sanitization
allImplement proper input validation and parameterized queries for the empid parameter
Modify /add-phlebotomist.php to use prepared statements: $stmt = $conn->prepare('SELECT * FROM table WHERE empid = ?'); $stmt->bind_param('s', $empid);
Access Restriction
allRestrict access to vulnerable endpoint using web server configuration
# Apache: <Location /add-phlebotomist.php> Require all denied </Location>
# Nginx: location /add-phlebotomist.php { deny all; }
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) with SQL injection rules
- Isolate the system from internet access and restrict to internal network only
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Test the /add-phlebotomist.php endpoint with SQL injection payloads in the empid parameterCheck Version:
Check system documentation or configuration files for version informationVerify Fix Applied:
Verify that SQL injection attempts no longer succeed and that parameterized queries are implemented📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual SQL queries in application logs
- Multiple failed login attempts or parameter manipulation in access logs
Network Indicators:
- SQL injection patterns in HTTP requests to /add-phlebotomist.php
SIEM Query:
source="web_logs" AND uri="/add-phlebotomist.php" AND (empid="' OR '1'='1" OR empid="' UNION SELECT" OR empid="' OR 1=1--")