CVE-2025-5208
📋 TL;DR
This critical SQL injection vulnerability in SourceCodester Online Hospital Management System 1.0 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via the emailid parameter in /admin/check_availability.php. This can lead to unauthorized data access, modification, or deletion. All users running this specific version are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- SourceCodester Online Hospital Management System
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete database compromise including patient records, admin credentials, and system takeover leading to data breach, ransomware deployment, or service disruption.
Likely Case
Unauthorized access to sensitive patient data, modification of medical records, or extraction of admin credentials for further system compromise.
If Mitigated
Limited impact due to proper input validation, parameterized queries, and network segmentation preventing successful exploitation.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploit details are publicly available on GitHub. SQL injection via emailid parameter requires minimal technical skill.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Unknown
Vendor Advisory: https://www.sourcecodester.com/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Check vendor website for updates. 2. If no patch, implement workarounds. 3. Consider replacing with secure alternative.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Input Validation Filter
allAdd server-side validation to sanitize emailid parameter before processing
Modify /admin/check_availability.php to validate email format and escape special characters
Web Application Firewall Rule
allBlock SQL injection patterns targeting the vulnerable endpoint
Add WAF rule: deny requests to /admin/check_availability.php containing SQL keywords in emailid parameter
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Isolate the system behind a firewall with strict access controls
- Implement network segmentation to limit database server exposure
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Test /admin/check_availability.php with SQL injection payloads in emailid parameter and observe database errors or unexpected responses.Check Version:
Check system documentation or admin panel for version informationVerify Fix Applied:
Attempt SQL injection after fixes and confirm proper error handling or rejection of malicious input.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual SQL errors in application logs
- Multiple failed login attempts via /admin/check_availability.php
- Suspicious email parameters containing SQL keywords
Network Indicators:
- HTTP POST requests to /admin/check_availability.php with SQL injection patterns
- Unusual database query patterns from web server
SIEM Query:
source="web_logs" AND uri_path="/admin/check_availability.php" AND (emailid CONTAINS "' OR" OR emailid CONTAINS "UNION" OR emailid CONTAINS "SELECT")