The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-57254 affects the Karthikg1908 Hospital Management System (HMS) version 1.0. It is an SQL injection flaw located in the user-login.php and index.php scripts, where the application fails to properly sanitize the username and password POST parameters before embedding them into SQL queries. This improper input handling allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary SQL commands, potentially manipulating the backend database. Exploitation can lead to unauthorized data retrieval, modification, or deletion, enabling privilege escalation and account takeover. The vulnerability does not require authentication or user interaction, making it remotely exploitable over the network. The CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 reflects a medium severity, with attack vector being network (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), and impacts on confidentiality and integrity but not availability (C:L/I:L/A:N). The lack of available patches or known exploits in the wild suggests that remediation is urgent to prevent future attacks. The vulnerability falls under CWE-89 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command), a common and critical web application security issue. Given the sensitive nature of healthcare data managed by HMS, exploitation could lead to significant privacy violations and regulatory non-compliance.

For European organizations, particularly healthcare providers using the Karthikg1908 HMS, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to patient data confidentiality and system integrity. Exploitation could result in unauthorized access to sensitive medical records, leading to privacy breaches and potential violations of GDPR and other data protection regulations. Privilege escalation and account takeover could disrupt hospital operations, compromise patient safety, and damage organizational reputation. The medium severity score indicates a moderate but tangible risk, especially since no authentication or user interaction is required for exploitation. European healthcare institutions often face targeted attacks due to the value of medical data, increasing the likelihood of exploitation attempts. The absence of patches increases exposure time, and the vulnerability could be leveraged for lateral movement within hospital networks or to exfiltrate sensitive data. Additionally, regulatory bodies in Europe may impose fines or sanctions if such vulnerabilities lead to data breaches.

To mitigate CVE-2025-57254, organizations should immediately implement input validation and sanitization on all user-supplied data, especially the username and password fields in user-login.php and index.php. Employ parameterized queries or prepared statements to prevent SQL injection attacks effectively. Conduct a thorough code review of the HMS application to identify and remediate similar injection points. If possible, isolate the HMS system within a segmented network zone with strict access controls to limit exposure. Monitor logs for unusual login attempts or SQL errors that may indicate exploitation attempts. Engage with the software vendor or development team to obtain or develop patches addressing this vulnerability. Until patches are available, consider deploying web application firewalls (WAFs) with SQL injection detection rules tailored to the HMS application. Regularly back up critical data and test restoration procedures to minimize impact in case of compromise. Educate IT and security staff on recognizing signs of exploitation and incident response procedures specific to healthcare environments.