CVE-2025-7168 is a critical SQL Injection vulnerability identified in version 1.0 of the code-projects Crime Reporting System, specifically affecting the /userlogin.php endpoint. The vulnerability arises from improper sanitization or validation of the 'email' parameter, which allows an attacker to inject malicious SQL code remotely without requiring authentication or user interaction. This flaw enables an attacker to manipulate backend database queries, potentially leading to unauthorized data access, data modification, or even complete compromise of the underlying database. The CVSS 4.0 vector indicates that the attack can be performed remotely (AV:N) with low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges or user interaction required (PR:N/UI:N), and impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability to a low degree (VC:L/VI:L/VA:L). Although the CVSS score is 6.9 (medium severity), the vulnerability's critical nature stems from its potential to expose sensitive crime reporting data, which is often highly confidential and sensitive. No patches or mitigations have been published yet, and while no known exploits are currently in the wild, the public disclosure of the vulnerability increases the risk of exploitation. The Crime Reporting System is likely used by law enforcement or municipal agencies to manage crime data, making the integrity and confidentiality of this system paramount.

For European organizations, especially law enforcement agencies and municipalities using the code-projects Crime Reporting System, this vulnerability poses significant risks. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive personal data, crime reports, and investigative details, potentially compromising ongoing investigations and violating data protection regulations such as GDPR. Data integrity could be undermined, allowing attackers to alter crime records or user credentials, which could disrupt law enforcement operations and erode public trust. Availability impacts, while rated low, could still result in denial of service or system instability, affecting critical reporting functions. The exposure of such sensitive information could also have legal and reputational consequences for affected organizations. Given the remote and unauthenticated nature of the exploit, the threat is particularly severe for publicly accessible instances of the system.

Immediate mitigation steps should include implementing input validation and parameterized queries or prepared statements to prevent SQL injection on the 'email' parameter in /userlogin.php. Organizations should conduct a thorough code review of the affected module and any other user input handling to identify similar vulnerabilities. If possible, restrict access to the Crime Reporting System to trusted networks or VPNs to reduce exposure. Monitoring and logging of database queries and login attempts should be enhanced to detect suspicious activity indicative of exploitation attempts. Since no official patch is currently available, organizations should consider deploying Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with rules specifically designed to detect and block SQL injection payloads targeting this endpoint. Regular backups of the database 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.