CVE-2025-9977 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-89 (SQL Injection) and CWE-209 (Information Exposure Through an Error Message) affecting Times Software's E-Payroll product. The issue arises from improper neutralization of special elements in one of the POST parameters during the login process, which is not adequately sanitized. This flaw allows unauthenticated attackers to perform denial-of-service (DoS) attacks by sending crafted requests that disrupt normal application behavior. While direct SQL injection exploitation has not been demonstrated—likely due to backend filtering mechanisms—there remains a risk that such an exploit could be developed. Additionally, attempts at command injection cause the application to return verbose error messages that reveal internal infrastructure details, potentially aiding attackers in crafting more effective attacks. The vulnerability affects all versions of the product, and no patches or fixes have been confirmed due to lack of vendor response. The CVSS 4.0 score of 5.3 indicates a medium severity, with an attack vector over the network, low attack complexity, no privileges or user interaction required, and limited impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The vulnerability's exploitation could lead to service disruption and partial information disclosure, undermining the security posture of affected organizations.

For European organizations using Times Software E-Payroll, this vulnerability poses a risk of denial-of-service attacks that could disrupt payroll processing, affecting business continuity and employee trust. The exposure of detailed error messages can leak sensitive information about internal infrastructure, increasing the likelihood of targeted follow-up attacks such as privilege escalation or lateral movement within networks. Although direct SQL injection exploitation has not been confirmed, the potential remains, which could lead to unauthorized data access or modification if an exploit is developed. The impact is particularly significant for organizations with critical payroll operations, as disruption or data compromise could have regulatory and reputational consequences under GDPR and other data protection laws. The lack of vendor response and patch availability increases the window of exposure, necessitating proactive defensive measures. Overall, the threat could affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability of payroll data and systems, with medium severity implications for affected entities.

1. Implement strict input validation and sanitization at the web application firewall (WAF) or reverse proxy level to filter and block malicious POST requests targeting the login endpoint. 2. Deploy network-level protections such as rate limiting and IP reputation filtering to reduce the risk of automated or repeated attack attempts. 3. Disable verbose error messages in production environments to prevent leakage of internal infrastructure details; configure the application or web server to return generic error responses. 4. Monitor logs for unusual login attempts, error message patterns, and spikes in traffic that could indicate exploitation attempts. 5. Isolate the E-Payroll system within a segmented network zone with limited access to reduce the blast radius of potential attacks. 6. Engage with the vendor persistently to obtain patches or updates; if unavailable, consider alternative payroll solutions or additional compensating controls. 7. Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focused on injection vulnerabilities and error handling. 8. Educate IT and security staff about this vulnerability to ensure rapid detection and response.