CVE-2025-12856 is a SQL injection vulnerability identified in version 1.0 of the Responsive Hotel Site developed by code-projects. The flaw exists in the /admin/reservation.php file, where the email parameter is improperly sanitized, allowing an attacker to inject malicious SQL code. This injection can manipulate backend database queries, potentially exposing or altering sensitive reservation data. The vulnerability requires the attacker to have high privileges (authenticated admin access) but does not require user interaction, making remote exploitation feasible once credentials are obtained. The CVSS 4.0 score of 5.1 reflects a medium severity, considering the attack vector is network-based with low complexity but restricted by the need for privileges. The impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability is low to moderate since the scope is limited to the admin reservation functionality and the vulnerability does not allow privilege escalation or system-wide compromise. No patches or fixes have been officially released yet, and no known exploits are active in the wild, but proof-of-concept exploit code is publicly available, increasing the risk of exploitation. The vulnerability highlights the importance of secure coding practices such as input validation and the use of parameterized queries in web applications handling sensitive data.

For European organizations, especially those in the hospitality industry using the Responsive Hotel Site software, this vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access or modification of reservation data, impacting customer privacy and business operations. Although exploitation requires admin-level access, compromised credentials or insider threats could leverage this flaw to extract sensitive information or disrupt services. This could result in reputational damage, regulatory penalties under GDPR due to data breaches, and operational downtime. The limited scope reduces the risk of widespread system compromise, but targeted attacks could still cause significant harm. Organizations relying on this software without timely mitigation may face increased risk of data integrity issues and potential financial losses. Additionally, the public availability of exploit code raises the likelihood of opportunistic attacks, emphasizing the need for proactive security measures.

1. Immediately restrict access to the /admin/reservation.php interface to trusted personnel and secure it behind strong authentication mechanisms such as multi-factor authentication (MFA). 2. Implement input validation and sanitization on the email parameter to prevent SQL injection, preferably by using parameterized queries or prepared statements in the application code. 3. Conduct a thorough code review of the entire application to identify and remediate similar injection flaws. 4. Monitor logs for suspicious activities related to admin access and SQL errors that may indicate exploitation attempts. 5. If possible, isolate the affected application in a segmented network zone to limit lateral movement in case of compromise. 6. Develop and deploy patches or updates as soon as the vendor releases them; if unavailable, consider temporary workarounds such as web application firewalls (WAF) with custom rules to block malicious payloads targeting the email parameter. 7. Educate administrators on secure credential management to prevent unauthorized access that could lead to exploitation.