CVE-2025-6159 is a critical SQL Injection vulnerability identified in version 1.0 of the code-projects Hostel Management System, specifically within the /allocate_room.php file. The vulnerability arises from improper sanitization or validation of the 'search_box' parameter, which is directly used in SQL queries. This flaw allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to inject malicious SQL code, potentially manipulating the backend database. Exploitation does not require any user interaction or authentication, making it highly accessible to attackers. The vulnerability can lead to unauthorized data disclosure, data modification, or even full compromise of the database depending on the privileges of the database user. Although the CVSS 4.0 score is 6.9 (medium severity), the vector indicates network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), and partial impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (VC:L, VI:L, VA:L). No official patches or mitigations have been published yet, and while no known exploits are currently observed in the wild, the public disclosure of the exploit code increases the risk of imminent attacks. The vulnerability affects only version 1.0 of the Hostel Management System, which is a niche product primarily used in educational institutions or hostels for managing room allocations and related administrative tasks. The exploitation could allow attackers to extract sensitive student or staff data, alter room allocation records, or disrupt hostel operations by corrupting database entries.

For European organizations, particularly educational institutions and student housing providers using the affected Hostel Management System 1.0, this vulnerability poses a significant risk. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to personal data of students and staff, violating GDPR and other data protection regulations, potentially resulting in legal penalties and reputational damage. Integrity compromise could disrupt room allocations, causing operational chaos and service interruptions. Availability impacts could affect hostel management services, leading to administrative delays and dissatisfaction. Given the remote and unauthenticated nature of the attack, threat actors could easily target multiple institutions simultaneously. The impact is amplified in countries with a high concentration of universities and student accommodations relying on such management systems. Additionally, the exposure of sensitive personal data could be leveraged for identity theft or further targeted attacks. Although the product is niche, the criticality of the data involved and the ease of exploitation make this vulnerability a serious concern for affected European entities.

Immediate mitigation steps include implementing input validation and parameterized queries or prepared statements in the /allocate_room.php script to prevent SQL injection. Organizations should audit their current installations of the Hostel Management System to identify version 1.0 deployments and isolate or restrict access to the vulnerable endpoint until a patch is available. Network-level mitigations such as Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) can be configured to detect and block SQL injection patterns targeting the 'search_box' parameter. Monitoring and logging of database queries and web requests should be enhanced to detect anomalous activities indicative of exploitation attempts. Since no official patch is currently available, organizations should consider upgrading to newer, unaffected versions if available or applying custom fixes after thorough testing. Regular backups of the database are essential to enable recovery in case of data corruption. Finally, staff awareness and incident response plans should be updated to address potential exploitation scenarios.