CVE-2025-9689
📋 TL;DR
This SQL injection vulnerability in SourceCodester Advanced School Management System 1.0 allows attackers to manipulate database queries through the 'q' parameter in /index.php/stock/item_select. Remote attackers can potentially access, modify, or delete sensitive school data including student records, grades, and financial information. All deployments of version 1.0 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- SourceCodester Advanced School Management System
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete database compromise leading to data theft, data destruction, or full system takeover via SQL injection to RCE chaining.
Likely Case
Unauthorized access to sensitive student and staff data, grade manipulation, or system disruption.
If Mitigated
Limited information disclosure if proper input validation and WAF rules are in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
Public exploit available on GitHub. Simple HTTP request manipulation required. No authentication needed.
🛠️ 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 patch available, download and apply
3. Test functionality after update
4. No official patch confirmed as of analysis date
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
WAF Rule Implementation
allBlock SQL injection patterns targeting /index.php/stock/item_select endpoint
# Example ModSecurity rule:
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@streq /index.php/stock/item_select" \
"id:1001,phase:2,deny,status:403,msg:'Blocking SQLi attempt'" \
"chain"
SecRule ARGS:q "@detectSQLi"
Input Validation Filter
allAdd parameter validation before database query execution
# PHP example:
$q = filter_var($_GET['q'], FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING);
$q = mysqli_real_escape_string($connection, $q);
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Block external access to /index.php/stock/item_select via firewall rules
- Implement strict input validation and parameterized queries in the vulnerable file
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Send GET request to /index.php/stock/item_select?q=1' AND '1'='1 and check for SQL error responses or unexpected behaviorCheck Version:
Check system version in admin panel or review source code comments for version 1.0 referencesVerify Fix Applied:
Test with SQL injection payloads after applying fixes; verify no database errors or unauthorized data access occurs📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- SQL syntax errors in web server logs
- Unusual database queries from web application
- Multiple requests to /index.php/stock/item_select with special characters
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing SQL keywords (SELECT, UNION, etc.) in q parameter
- Unusual traffic patterns to vulnerable endpoint
SIEM Query:
source="web_logs" AND uri="/index.php/stock/item_select" AND (query="*'*" OR query="*SELECT*" OR query="*UNION*")