CVE-2025-46337: A Critical SQL Injection Vulnerability in ADOdb PHP Database Class Library

Overview

The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) system has issued an advisory on a critical vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-46337. This security flaw affects the ADOdb PHP database class library – a widely used open-source library that offers an abstraction layer for database management and queries. The vulnerability is deeply concerning due to its potential to allow attackers to execute arbitrary SQL statements, leading to possible system compromise or data leakage. With a CVSS Severity Score of 10.0, this issue is of utmost importance to any organization or individual utilizing ADOdb prior to version 5.22.9, especially on PostgreSQL databases.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-46337
Severity: Critical – CVSS Score: 10.0
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

ADOdb | Prior to 5.22.9

How the Exploit Works

The vulnerability stems from the improper escaping of a query parameter in the ADOdb library. Specifically, when the code using ADOdb connects to a PostgreSQL database and calls pg_insert_id() with user-supplied data, an attacker can exploit this flaw. By carefully crafting malicious data, an attacker could inject arbitrary SQL statements into the query, which the database would then execute. This could lead to unauthorized access, data manipulation, or even total system compromise.

Conceptual Example Code

Here’s a conceptual example of a potential exploit. The attacker could send a specially-crafted request similar to the following:

POST /query HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
user_id=1; DROP TABLE users;

This request contains an SQL statement (`DROP TABLE users;`) which, if executed, would delete the entire ‘users’ table from the database.

Mitigation and Recommendations

To mitigate this vulnerability, it is highly advised to update ADOdb to version 5.22.9 or later as this issue has been patched in these versions. If an immediate update is not possible, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can provide temporary mitigation. However, these are not long-term solutions and can only minimize the risk. Regular patching and updates should be a part of any organization’s cybersecurity strategy.