CVE-2025-5639
📋 TL;DR
This critical SQL injection vulnerability in PHPGurukul Notice Board System 1.0 allows attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via the email parameter in the forgot-password.php file. Attackers can potentially access, modify, or delete database content remotely. All users running the affected software are vulnerable.
💻 Affected Systems
- PHPGurukul Notice Board System
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete database compromise including data theft, data manipulation, privilege escalation, and potential remote code execution via database functions.
Likely Case
Unauthorized data access, credential theft, and potential administrative account takeover.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper input validation, parameterized queries, and database permission restrictions.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploit details are publicly available on GitHub. SQL injection vulnerabilities are commonly weaponized with automated tools.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Unknown
Vendor Advisory: https://phpgurukul.com/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
No official patch available. Consider migrating to alternative software or implementing workarounds.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Input Validation and Sanitization
allAdd proper input validation and parameterized queries to the forgot-password.php file
Edit forgot-password.php to use prepared statements with parameterized queries instead of direct string concatenation
Disable Vulnerable Endpoint
allTemporarily disable or restrict access to the forgot-password.php file
Rename forgot-password.php to forgot-password.php.disabled or add authentication requirements
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement a web application firewall (WAF) with SQL injection rules
- Restrict network access to the application to trusted IP addresses only
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if forgot-password.php exists in the application directory and examine the code for SQL injection vulnerabilities in email parameter handling.Check Version:
Check the application version in the admin panel or by examining the source code/README files.Verify Fix Applied:
Test the forgot password functionality with SQL injection payloads to ensure they are properly rejected or sanitized.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual SQL error messages in application logs
- Multiple failed password reset attempts with SQL syntax in parameters
Network Indicators:
- HTTP POST requests to forgot-password.php containing SQL keywords like UNION, SELECT, OR 1=1
SIEM Query:
source="web_logs" AND uri="/forgot-password.php" AND (request_body CONTAINS "UNION" OR request_body CONTAINS "SELECT" OR request_body CONTAINS "OR 1=1")