CVE-2025-5658 is a SQL Injection vulnerability identified in version 2.0 of the PHPGurukul Complaint Management System, specifically within the /admin/updatecomplaint.php file. The vulnerability arises due to improper sanitization or validation of the 'Status' parameter, which is manipulated by an attacker to inject malicious SQL code. This injection flaw allows an attacker to interfere with the queries executed by the backend database, potentially enabling unauthorized data access, modification, or deletion. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable without requiring user interaction or authentication, increasing its risk profile. The CVSS 4.0 base score is 5.3, indicating a medium severity level, primarily because it requires low privileges (PR:L) but no user interaction (UI:N) and has limited impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (VC:L, VI:L, VA:L). The vulnerability has been publicly disclosed, but no known exploits are currently observed in the wild. However, the public disclosure increases the risk of exploitation attempts. The lack of available patches or mitigations from the vendor at this time further exacerbates the threat. Given the nature of complaint management systems, which often handle sensitive user or customer data, exploitation could lead to unauthorized data exposure or manipulation, undermining trust and compliance with data protection regulations.

For European organizations using PHPGurukul Complaint Management System 2.0, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to data confidentiality and integrity. Attackers exploiting this flaw could access sensitive complaint records, potentially exposing personal data protected under GDPR, leading to regulatory penalties and reputational damage. The ability to modify complaint statuses or records could disrupt business processes, affect customer service quality, and damage organizational credibility. Since the vulnerability is remotely exploitable without authentication, attackers could target exposed administrative interfaces directly, increasing the attack surface. This is particularly concerning for organizations with publicly accessible admin portals or insufficient network segmentation. Additionally, data tampering could impact audit trails and compliance reporting, complicating incident response and forensic investigations. The medium severity rating suggests that while the impact is not catastrophic, the risk is non-negligible and warrants prompt attention to prevent escalation or chaining with other vulnerabilities.

1. Immediate mitigation should include restricting access to the /admin/updatecomplaint.php endpoint through network controls such as IP whitelisting, VPN access, or firewall rules to limit exposure to trusted administrators only. 2. Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules specifically designed to detect and block SQL injection patterns targeting the 'Status' parameter. 3. Conduct a thorough code review and apply input validation and parameterized queries or prepared statements to sanitize the 'Status' input, eliminating the injection vector. 4. If possible, upgrade to a patched version of the PHPGurukul Complaint Management System once released by the vendor. 5. Monitor logs for unusual database query patterns or repeated access attempts to the vulnerable endpoint to detect exploitation attempts early. 6. Educate administrators on secure password practices and multi-factor authentication to reduce the risk of compromised credentials facilitating exploitation. 7. As a longer-term measure, consider migrating to complaint management solutions with active security maintenance and community support to reduce exposure to unpatched vulnerabilities.