CVE-2024-44630 identifies a critical SQL injection vulnerability in the PHPGurukul Student Record System version 3.20, specifically in the register.php file. Multiple parameters used to capture student personal and academic information—such as c-full, fname, mname, lname, gname, ocp, nation, mobno, email, board1, roll1, pyear1, board2, roll2, pyear2, sub1, marks1, sub2, course-short, income, category, ph, country, state, city, padd, cadd, and gender—are susceptible to injection attacks. This vulnerability arises because these parameters are not properly sanitized or validated before being incorporated into SQL queries, allowing an attacker to inject malicious SQL code. Exploiting this flaw could enable attackers to retrieve, modify, or delete sensitive student records, bypass authentication, or escalate privileges within the application’s database. Although no public exploits have been reported yet, the vulnerability is serious due to the large attack surface presented by numerous injectable parameters and the sensitive nature of the data involved. The vulnerability does not require prior authentication but does require an attacker to submit crafted input through the registration form, implying user interaction is necessary. No official patches or CVSS score have been published as of now, but the risk remains significant given the potential impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability of student data.

For European organizations, particularly educational institutions using PHPGurukul Student Record System or similar platforms, this vulnerability poses a significant risk of data breaches involving personally identifiable information (PII) and academic records. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive student data, manipulation of academic records, or disruption of student management services. Such incidents could result in regulatory penalties under GDPR due to inadequate protection of personal data, reputational damage, and operational disruptions. The broad range of vulnerable parameters increases the attack surface, making it easier for attackers to craft successful injection payloads. Additionally, the lack of authentication requirement lowers the barrier for exploitation, potentially enabling external attackers to compromise systems remotely. The impact extends beyond confidentiality to integrity and availability, as attackers could alter or delete records or cause denial of service through database corruption.

European organizations should immediately audit their use of PHPGurukul Student Record System and identify if version 3.20 or earlier is deployed. Since no official patches are currently available, organizations should implement the following mitigations: 1) Apply strict input validation and sanitization on all user-supplied data fields, especially those listed as vulnerable parameters. 2) Refactor the application code to use parameterized queries or prepared statements to prevent SQL injection. 3) Employ Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with SQL injection detection rules to block malicious payloads targeting these parameters. 4) Conduct thorough security testing, including automated and manual penetration testing focused on injection flaws. 5) Monitor application logs for suspicious input patterns or errors indicative of injection attempts. 6) Limit database user privileges to the minimum necessary to reduce impact if exploitation occurs. 7) Prepare incident response plans for potential data breaches involving student records. Organizations should also stay alert for official patches or updates from PHPGurukul and apply them promptly once released.