CVE-2025-12262 identifies a SQL injection vulnerability in the code-projects Online Event Judging System version 1.0, located in the /edit_criteria.php file. The vulnerability arises from improper sanitization of the crit_id parameter, which is used in SQL queries without adequate validation or parameterization. An attacker can remotely send crafted requests to manipulate the SQL query logic, potentially extracting sensitive data, modifying database contents, or causing denial of service. The vulnerability does not require authentication or user interaction, making it easier to exploit remotely. The CVSS 4.0 vector indicates network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:L), no user interaction (UI:N), and low impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (VC:L, VI:L, VA:L). Although no exploits are currently known in the wild, the public disclosure increases the likelihood of exploitation attempts. The affected product is specialized software used for managing event judging criteria, which may be deployed in educational, corporate, or event management environments. The lack of available patches or vendor advisories necessitates immediate mitigation efforts by users. The vulnerability highlights the critical need for secure coding practices, especially input validation and use of prepared statements to prevent SQL injection attacks.

For European organizations, exploitation of this vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive event judging data, including criteria and scoring information, potentially compromising the integrity of event outcomes. Confidentiality breaches could expose participant information or proprietary judging methodologies. Integrity impacts include unauthorized modification or deletion of judging criteria, which could undermine trust in event results. Availability impacts might arise if attackers cause database errors or crashes through crafted queries. Organizations relying on this system for official or competitive events may suffer reputational damage and legal consequences if data protection regulations such as GDPR are violated. The remote and unauthenticated nature of the attack vector increases risk, especially for systems exposed to the internet without adequate network segmentation or firewall protections. Although the product is niche, any disruption or data compromise in event management contexts can have outsized operational and reputational effects.

Specific mitigation steps include: 1) Immediate code audit of the /edit_criteria.php file to identify and remediate unsafe SQL query constructions involving the crit_id parameter. 2) Refactor the code to use parameterized queries or prepared statements to prevent injection. 3) If source code modification is not immediately possible, implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block suspicious SQL injection patterns targeting crit_id. 4) Restrict network access to the Online Event Judging System to trusted internal networks or VPNs to reduce exposure. 5) Conduct thorough vulnerability scanning and penetration testing focused on SQL injection vectors. 6) Monitor logs for unusual query patterns or error messages indicative of exploitation attempts. 7) Engage with the vendor or community to obtain patches or updates as they become available. 8) Educate developers and administrators on secure coding and input validation best practices to prevent future vulnerabilities.