CVE-2025-8955 is a SQL Injection vulnerability identified in version 4.0 of the PHPGurukul Hospital Management System, specifically within the /admin/edit-doctor.php file. The vulnerability arises from improper sanitization or validation of the 'docfees' parameter, which is susceptible to malicious input manipulation. An attacker can remotely exploit this flaw without requiring any authentication or user interaction, by injecting crafted SQL commands into the 'docfees' argument. This can lead to unauthorized access to the underlying database, potentially allowing attackers to read, modify, or delete sensitive hospital data such as patient records, doctor information, and billing details. The CVSS 4.0 base score of 6.9 (medium severity) reflects the network attack vector with low complexity and no privileges or user interaction needed, but with limited impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Although no public exploits have been observed in the wild yet, the public disclosure of the vulnerability increases the risk of exploitation. The lack of an official patch or mitigation guidance from the vendor further elevates the urgency for affected organizations to implement protective measures. Given the critical nature of hospital management systems in healthcare delivery, exploitation could disrupt medical services and compromise patient privacy.

For European organizations, especially healthcare providers using PHPGurukul Hospital Management System 4.0, this vulnerability poses significant risks. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive personal health information (PHI), violating GDPR requirements and resulting in legal and financial penalties. Data integrity could be compromised, affecting clinical decisions and patient safety. Availability impacts could disrupt hospital operations, leading to delays in treatment and emergency response. The remote and unauthenticated nature of the attack vector means that attackers can exploit the vulnerability from anywhere, increasing the threat landscape. Additionally, healthcare institutions are high-value targets for cybercriminals and ransomware groups, making this vulnerability a potential entry point for broader attacks. The medium severity rating suggests that while the vulnerability is serious, it may not lead to full system compromise without additional chained exploits, but the risk to confidentiality and integrity remains notable.

Given the absence of an official patch, European healthcare organizations should immediately implement compensating controls. These include: 1) Applying strict input validation and sanitization on the 'docfees' parameter at the web application firewall (WAF) or reverse proxy level to block malicious SQL payloads. 2) Restricting access to the /admin/edit-doctor.php endpoint to trusted IP addresses or VPN users only, minimizing exposure. 3) Conducting thorough code reviews and applying manual patches to sanitize inputs if possible. 4) Monitoring database logs and application logs for unusual queries or errors indicative of injection attempts. 5) Employing database-level protections such as least privilege principles for the database user account used by the application, limiting the potential damage of injection. 6) Preparing incident response plans specific to healthcare data breaches and ensuring backups are up to date and tested. 7) Engaging with the vendor or community for updates or patches and planning for an upgrade to a fixed version once available.