CVE-2025-5656 in Complaint Management System
Summary
by MITRE • 06/05/2025
A vulnerability was found in PHPGurukul Complaint Management System 2.0. It has been declared as critical. This vulnerability affects unknown code of the file /admin/edit-category.php. The manipulation of the argument description leads to sql injection. The attack can be initiated remotely. The exploit has been disclosed to the public and may be used.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/11/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-5656 represents a critical sql injection flaw within the PHPGurukul Complaint Management System version 2.0. This system, designed for managing user complaints and administrative tasks, contains a dangerous input validation weakness in its administrative interface. The specific file affected is /admin/edit-category.php which handles category management operations for system administrators. The vulnerability arises from insufficient sanitization of user-supplied input parameters, particularly the description argument, which allows malicious actors to inject arbitrary sql commands directly into the database query execution flow.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through remote attack vectors, meaning that an attacker does not require physical access to the system or local network privileges to initiate the exploit. The flaw stems from improper parameter handling where the description field input is directly incorporated into sql queries without adequate escaping or parameterization. This creates a classic sql injection scenario where malicious input can manipulate the intended database operations. The vulnerability has been publicly disclosed, significantly increasing the risk surface as threat actors can readily access and utilize the exploitation techniques without requiring advanced reconnaissance or development efforts.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted. Successful exploitation could enable attackers to extract sensitive data from the database, including user credentials, complaint records, and system configuration information. Beyond data exfiltration, attackers could modify or delete critical system data, potentially compromising the integrity and availability of the entire complaint management system. The administrative nature of the affected file means that successful exploitation could provide attackers with elevated privileges within the system, allowing them to manipulate categories and potentially access other administrative functions. This vulnerability directly aligns with CWE-89 sql injection weakness classification and maps to attack techniques documented in the mitre ATT&CK framework under T1190 for exploit public-facing applications and T1071.004 for application layer protocol usage.
Organizations utilizing this system must implement immediate remediation measures to address the vulnerability. The primary mitigation involves proper input validation and parameterized query construction for all user-supplied inputs, particularly within the affected administrative interface. The fix should implement prepared statements or stored procedures to ensure that user input cannot alter the intended sql query structure. Additionally, implementing web application firewalls and input sanitization filters can provide additional defensive layers. Regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities throughout the application codebase, as this represents a common weakness pattern in web applications. System administrators should also monitor for any unauthorized access attempts or suspicious database activities that may indicate exploitation attempts. The public disclosure of this exploit necessitates urgent patching or mitigation implementation to prevent potential compromise of sensitive organizational data and maintain system integrity.