Executive Summary

CVE-2025-65133 is a SQL injection vulnerability found in version 1.0 of the School Management System developed by manikandan580.

This vulnerability allows both unauthenticated and authenticated remote attackers to send specially crafted HTTP requests to a vulnerable PHP endpoint, manipulating SQL query logic to extract sensitive database information such as student records and administrator credentials.

The vulnerability arises because user input is directly incorporated into SQL queries without using parameterized statements or proper input sanitization, enabling attackers to inject arbitrary SQL commands.

It is part of a broader pattern of insufficient input validation across the application.

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Impact Analysis

The impact of this vulnerability is severe and includes the following:

• High confidentiality risk due to potential extraction of sensitive data such as student records and administrator credentials.
• High integrity risk because attackers can alter or delete records in the database.
• Medium to high availability risk depending on the attacker's database privileges and intent, potentially disrupting the system's operation.

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Detection Guidance

This vulnerability can be detected by monitoring for specially crafted HTTP requests sent to the vulnerable PHP endpoint that manipulate SQL query logic. Detection involves analyzing HTTP traffic for unusual or suspicious input patterns that may indicate SQL injection attempts.

While specific commands are not provided, common approaches include using tools like sqlmap to test the endpoint for SQL injection vulnerabilities or capturing HTTP requests with tools such as Wireshark or Burp Suite to inspect for malicious payloads.

• Use sqlmap to test the vulnerable endpoint: sqlmap -u "http://target/school_management_system/vulnerable_endpoint.php" --batch
• Capture and analyze HTTP requests with Burp Suite or similar proxy tools to identify suspicious input patterns.
• Monitor web server logs for unusual query strings or input parameters that contain SQL syntax or injection patterns.

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Mitigation Strategies

Immediate mitigation steps include implementing parameterized queries using PDO or MySQLi prepared statements instead of raw SQL concatenation to prevent SQL injection.

Additionally, enforce strict server-side input validation for all user-supplied parameters to block malicious input.

Apply the principle of least privilege to database credentials by restricting permissions to only necessary operations and avoiding elevated privileges such as SUPER or FILE.

Disable SQL error messages in production environments to prevent information leakage, and ensure errors are logged securely on the server side.

As a temporary protective measure, deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to filter out malicious requests targeting this vulnerability.

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Compliance Impact

The SQL injection vulnerability in the School Management System allows attackers to extract sensitive database information such as student records and administrator credentials. This exposure of sensitive personal data can lead to non-compliance with data protection regulations like GDPR and HIPAA, which require the protection of personal and health-related information.

Because the vulnerability compromises confidentiality, integrity, and potentially availability of sensitive data, it increases the risk of unauthorized data access, alteration, or deletion. Such risks directly conflict with the security and privacy requirements mandated by common standards and regulations.

Therefore, without proper mitigation, this vulnerability could result in violations of compliance obligations related to data protection, breach notification, and secure handling of personal information.

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