CVE-2025-8981 is a SQL Injection vulnerability identified in version 1.0 of the itsourcecode Online Tour and Travel Management System. The flaw exists in the /admin/operations/payment.php file, specifically through the manipulation of the 'payment_type' parameter. This parameter is not properly sanitized or validated, allowing an attacker to inject malicious SQL code remotely without any authentication or user interaction. Exploiting this vulnerability could enable an attacker to execute arbitrary SQL commands on the backend database, potentially leading to unauthorized data access, data modification, or deletion. The vulnerability has been publicly disclosed, increasing the risk of exploitation, although no known exploits are currently reported in the wild. The CVSS v4.0 base score is 6.9, indicating a medium severity level. The attack vector is network-based with low attack complexity and no privileges or user interaction required. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability to a limited extent due to the partial impact metrics (low to medium). Since the affected software is a niche online tour and travel management system, the scope of affected systems is limited to organizations using this specific product version.

For European organizations using the itsourcecode Online Tour and Travel Management System version 1.0, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive customer and payment data. Successful exploitation could result in unauthorized disclosure of personal and financial information, manipulation of payment records, or disruption of payment processing workflows. This could lead to financial losses, reputational damage, and regulatory compliance issues under GDPR due to exposure of personal data. Given the tourism sector's importance in many European economies, especially in countries with high tourism activity, exploitation could disrupt business operations and customer trust. However, the overall impact is somewhat limited by the niche nature of the affected software and the absence of known active exploitation campaigns. Organizations relying on this system should consider the risk in the context of their exposure and data sensitivity.

To mitigate this vulnerability, organizations should immediately apply any available patches or updates from itsourcecode addressing CVE-2025-8981. In the absence of an official patch, organizations should implement input validation and parameterized queries or prepared statements in the payment.php script to sanitize the 'payment_type' parameter and prevent SQL injection. Additionally, deploying Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with rules to detect and block SQL injection attempts targeting the payment_type parameter can provide a temporary protective layer. Regular security audits and code reviews of the application should be conducted to identify and remediate similar injection flaws. Monitoring logs for unusual database queries or errors related to payment processing can help detect attempted exploitation. Finally, restricting access to the /admin/operations/payment.php endpoint through network segmentation or IP whitelisting can reduce exposure.