CVE-2025-5782 is a SQL Injection vulnerability identified in version 1.3 of the PHPGurukul Employee Record Management System, specifically within the /resetpassword.php file. The vulnerability arises from improper sanitization or validation of the 'newpassword' parameter, which is directly used in SQL queries. This flaw allows an attacker to inject malicious SQL code remotely without requiring authentication or user interaction. Exploiting this vulnerability can lead to unauthorized access to the backend database, enabling attackers to read, modify, or delete sensitive employee records or potentially escalate privileges within the application. The vulnerability has been publicly disclosed, increasing the risk of exploitation, although no known exploits are currently reported in the wild. The CVSS 4.0 base score is 5.3, indicating a medium severity level, reflecting the ease of remote exploitation but limited scope and impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The vulnerability does not require user interaction or authentication but does require low privileges, which suggests that an attacker might need some minimal access or that the application runs with certain permissions that facilitate exploitation. The vulnerability affects a critical HR management system that typically contains sensitive personal and organizational data, making it a significant concern for organizations relying on this software version.

For European organizations using PHPGurukul Employee Record Management System 1.3, this vulnerability poses a risk of unauthorized data exposure and manipulation of employee records. Given the sensitive nature of HR data, including personal identification, payroll, and employment history, exploitation could lead to privacy violations under GDPR, reputational damage, and potential legal consequences. The ability to alter password reset functionality could also enable attackers to hijack employee accounts, leading to broader internal access and potential lateral movement within corporate networks. Although the CVSS score is medium, the criticality of the affected data and the remote exploitability without user interaction elevate the threat level. Organizations in Europe must consider the regulatory implications of data breaches and the operational disruptions caused by compromised employee management systems. Additionally, the lack of known patches or mitigations increases the urgency for risk management and compensating controls.

1. Immediate mitigation should include restricting access to the /resetpassword.php endpoint through network-level controls such as IP whitelisting or web application firewalls (WAFs) with SQL injection detection and prevention rules tailored to the specific injection patterns related to the 'newpassword' parameter. 2. Conduct a thorough code review and implement proper input validation and parameterized queries or prepared statements to eliminate direct concatenation of user input into SQL commands. 3. If upgrading to a patched version is not immediately possible due to the absence of official patches, consider deploying virtual patching via WAFs and monitoring logs for suspicious activity targeting the reset password functionality. 4. Enforce the principle of least privilege on the database user accounts used by the application to limit the potential damage from successful injection attacks. 5. Regularly audit and monitor employee record management system logs for anomalies, especially failed or unusual password reset attempts. 6. Educate IT and security teams about this vulnerability and establish incident response procedures to quickly contain and remediate any exploitation attempts. 7. Engage with the vendor or community to obtain or develop patches and plan for timely updates once available.