CVE-2025-70064 identifies a critical privilege escalation vulnerability in PHPGurukul Hospital Management System version 4.0. The vulnerability arises because the application fails to enforce proper authorization checks on the /admin/ directory and its submodules. After a low-privileged user authenticates (e.g., a patient), they can manually browse to the /admin/ path and gain full administrative privileges, including access to sensitive modules such as User Logs and Doctor Management. This lack of access control allows unauthorized users to view confidential patient and system logs, alter doctor schedules, and modify system data, effectively compromising the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the hospital management system. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-284 (Improper Access Control). The CVSS v3.1 base score is 8.8, reflecting network attack vector, low attack complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction, and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. No patches or public exploits are currently documented, but the vulnerability poses a severe risk to healthcare providers relying on this software. The flaw could be exploited remotely by any authenticated user, making it a critical concern for environments where patients self-register or have low-privilege accounts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of enforcing strict role-based access control and validating user permissions on all administrative endpoints.

For European healthcare organizations using PHPGurukul Hospital Management System v4.0, this vulnerability could lead to severe data breaches involving sensitive patient information and internal hospital records. Unauthorized access to administrative functions could allow attackers to manipulate doctor schedules, patient records, and audit logs, potentially disrupting healthcare services and violating GDPR regulations on data protection. The compromise of system integrity and availability could result in operational downtime, impacting patient care and hospital workflows. Given the critical nature of healthcare data and the regulatory environment in Europe, exploitation could also lead to significant legal and financial repercussions. The ability for low-privileged users to escalate privileges undermines trust in the system and could facilitate insider threats or external attackers leveraging compromised patient accounts. The impact extends beyond confidentiality to include integrity and availability, making this a comprehensive threat to hospital IT infrastructure.

1. Immediately restrict direct URL access to the /admin/ directory and all administrative submodules by implementing server-side access controls that verify user roles before granting access. 2. Enforce strict role-based access control (RBAC) throughout the application, ensuring that only authorized administrator accounts can access sensitive modules. 3. Implement comprehensive authorization checks on every administrative endpoint, not relying solely on authentication status. 4. Conduct a thorough code review and penetration testing focused on access control mechanisms to identify and remediate similar privilege escalation vectors. 5. Monitor application logs for unusual access patterns, such as patient accounts attempting to access admin URLs. 6. If possible, isolate administrative interfaces on separate subdomains or networks with additional authentication layers (e.g., VPN, multi-factor authentication). 7. Educate hospital IT staff and users about the risks of privilege escalation and the importance of reporting suspicious activity. 8. Coordinate with PHPGurukul for timely patches or updates addressing this vulnerability. 9. Consider implementing Web Application Firewalls (WAF) rules to detect and block unauthorized access attempts to admin paths. 10. Regularly audit user accounts and permissions to ensure compliance with the principle of least privilege.