CVE-2025-6153 is a SQL Injection vulnerability identified in version 1.0 of the PHPGurukul Hostel Management System, specifically within the /admin/students.php file. The vulnerability arises from improper sanitization or validation of the 'search_box' parameter, which is directly used in SQL queries. An attacker can remotely manipulate this parameter to inject malicious SQL code, potentially altering the behavior of the database query. This can lead to unauthorized data access, data modification, or even deletion of records within the backend database. The vulnerability requires no authentication or user interaction, making it exploitable by any remote attacker with network access to the application. The CVSS 4.0 base score is 6.9 (medium severity), reflecting the ease of exploitation (network accessible, no privileges required) but limited impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, each rated as low. No known public exploits are currently in the wild, but the exploit details have been publicly disclosed, increasing the risk of exploitation. The vulnerability affects only version 1.0 of the PHPGurukul Hostel Management System, a niche product likely used by educational institutions or hostels for managing student accommodations and related administrative tasks. The lack of patches or vendor-provided mitigations at the time of disclosure increases exposure for users of this software version.

For European organizations, particularly educational institutions, student housing providers, or universities using PHPGurukul Hostel Management System 1.0, this vulnerability poses a significant risk. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive student data, including personal identification information, accommodation details, and potentially financial or academic records if integrated with other systems. Data integrity could be compromised by unauthorized modification or deletion of records, disrupting administrative operations. Although the vulnerability does not directly affect system availability, the resulting data corruption or unauthorized access could lead to operational downtime or reputational damage. Given the remote exploitability without authentication, attackers could leverage this vulnerability to gain a foothold within the network or escalate attacks against connected systems. The medium severity rating suggests a moderate but tangible risk, especially if the system contains sensitive or regulated data subject to GDPR compliance. Failure to address this vulnerability could result in data breaches, regulatory penalties, and loss of trust among students and staff.

1. Immediate mitigation should involve restricting external network access to the /admin/students.php endpoint, ideally limiting it to trusted internal IP addresses or VPN connections. 2. Implement input validation and parameterized queries or prepared statements in the application code to sanitize the 'search_box' parameter, preventing SQL injection. 3. If source code modification is not feasible immediately, deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with custom rules to detect and block SQL injection payloads targeting the vulnerable parameter. 4. Conduct a thorough audit of all input handling in the application to identify and remediate similar injection flaws. 5. Monitor application logs for suspicious query patterns or repeated failed attempts to exploit the vulnerability. 6. Engage with the vendor or community to obtain or develop an official patch or upgrade to a fixed version once available. 7. Educate administrative users about the risks and encourage strong access controls and credential management to reduce potential attack vectors. 8. As a longer-term measure, consider migrating to more actively maintained or secure hostel management solutions with robust security practices.