CVE-2025-6912 in Student Record System
Summary
by MITRE • 06/30/2025
A vulnerability was found in PHPGurukul Student Record System 3.2. It has been rated as critical. This issue affects some unknown processing of the file /manage-students.php. The manipulation of the argument del leads to sql injection. The attack may be initiated remotely. The exploit has been disclosed to the public and may be used.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/16/2026
The PHPGurukul Student Record System version 3.2 contains a critical security vulnerability located within its student management module, specifically affecting the file manage-students.php. This system is commonly deployed in educational institutions for managing academic records, making it a high-value target for attackers seeking to access sensitive personal and academic data. The core of this issue lies in how the application processes input parameters passed via HTTP requests without adequate sanitization or validation mechanisms. Specifically, the argument named del, which likely serves as an identifier for deleting student records, is directly concatenated into SQL queries executed by the backend database engine. This architectural flaw allows an attacker to inject malicious SQL code that alters the intended logic of the query, effectively bypassing authentication controls and enabling unauthorized data manipulation or extraction.
This vulnerability constitutes a classic example of SQL injection, categorized under CWE-89 in the Common Weakness Enumeration standard. The technical mechanism involves the application failing to properly escape special characters within the del parameter before incorporating it into database commands. When an attacker supplies a crafted payload containing SQL syntax such as UNION SELECT statements or boolean-based logic tricks, the database interprets these inputs not as data but as executable code. This allows for remote exploitation over standard network protocols like HTTP or HTTPS, meaning no local access or prior authentication is strictly required to initiate the attack if the endpoint is publicly accessible. The ability to remotely exploit this flaw significantly escalates the risk profile of the affected system, turning a simple administrative function into a vector for comprehensive database compromise.
The operational impact of exploiting this SQL injection vulnerability is severe and multifaceted. An attacker can extract sensitive information stored in the database, including student names, identification numbers, contact details, grades, and potentially hashed passwords or other credentials if they are present in accessible tables. Beyond data exfiltration, the attacker may modify existing records to alter academic histories or delete critical entries entirely, leading to significant operational disruption for educational staff and loss of trust among students and parents. In more advanced scenarios, depending on the database configuration and privileges granted to the web application's database user, an attacker might execute operating system commands through stored procedures or file read/write functions, thereby gaining full control over the underlying server infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies must address both immediate remediation and long-term security posture improvements. The most effective technical fix involves refactoring the code in manage-students.php to use prepared statements with parameterized queries instead of direct string concatenation for SQL commands. This ensures that user input is treated strictly as data rather than executable code, neutralizing injection attempts regardless of their content. Additionally, implementing strict input validation on all parameters, particularly those used in database operations, adds a layer of defense by rejecting unexpected or malformed characters before they reach the query builder. Deploying a Web Application Firewall can also provide temporary protection by filtering out known SQL injection patterns at the network edge while patches are applied.
From an offensive security perspective, this vulnerability aligns with several tactics and techniques defined in the MITRE ATT&CK framework for enterprise environments. The initial exploitation phase corresponds to T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application, as the flaw is leveraged through a web service exposed to potential attackers. Once inside, the ability to read data maps directly to T1213 Data from Information Repositories, while any modification of records falls under T1565 Data Manipulation. Organizations relying on this software should prioritize immediate patching or code remediation and conduct thorough security audits of other modules that handle user input to prevent similar vulnerabilities elsewhere in the system. Regular penetration testing focused on injection flaws is recommended to ensure comprehensive coverage against such critical threats.