CVE-2025-7132 is a critical SQL Injection vulnerability identified in version 1.0 of the Campcodes Payroll Management System. The vulnerability exists in the /ajax.php endpoint, specifically when handling the 'action=save_payroll' request parameter. The issue arises from improper sanitization or validation of the 'ID' argument, which allows an attacker to inject malicious SQL code. This injection can be exploited remotely without requiring authentication or user interaction, making it highly accessible to attackers. Successful exploitation could allow an attacker to manipulate the backend database, potentially leading to unauthorized data access, data modification, or deletion. Given that payroll systems contain sensitive employee financial and personal data, the confidentiality and integrity of this information are at significant risk. The CVSS 4.0 score is 6.9 (medium severity), reflecting the ease of exploitation (network attack vector, no privileges or user interaction needed) but somewhat limited impact on availability and confidentiality (low to low impact). However, the critical nature of payroll data and the potential for privilege escalation or lateral movement in a compromised environment elevate the practical risk. No patches or mitigations have been officially published yet, and while no known exploits are currently reported in the wild, the public disclosure of the vulnerability increases the likelihood of exploitation attempts.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability is substantial. Payroll systems are integral to business operations and contain sensitive personal data protected under GDPR. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized disclosure of employee salaries, bank details, social security numbers, and other personally identifiable information, resulting in regulatory penalties and reputational damage. Additionally, attackers could manipulate payroll data to commit fraud or disrupt payroll processing, affecting employee trust and operational continuity. The remote, unauthenticated nature of the exploit increases the risk of widespread attacks, especially in organizations that have not updated or secured their payroll systems. Given the critical role of payroll systems in both private and public sectors, exploitation could also have cascading effects on financial reporting and compliance. European organizations with interconnected IT environments may face lateral movement risks post-exploitation, amplifying the threat.

Immediate mitigation steps include implementing strict input validation and parameterized queries or prepared statements in the affected /ajax.php?action=save_payroll endpoint to prevent SQL injection. Organizations should conduct a thorough code review of the payroll system to identify and remediate similar injection points. Network-level controls such as web application firewalls (WAFs) should be configured to detect and block SQL injection patterns targeting the vulnerable parameter. Monitoring and logging of database queries and application logs should be enhanced to detect anomalous activities indicative of exploitation attempts. Since no official patch is currently available, organizations should consider isolating or restricting access to the payroll management system to trusted internal networks only, employing VPNs or zero-trust network access where possible. Regular backups of payroll data should be maintained to enable recovery in case of data tampering. Finally, organizations should stay alert for vendor updates or patches and apply them promptly once released.