Critical PHP Vulnerabilities Expose Systems to SQL Injection & DoS Attacks

A recently disclosed security vulnerability in the PHP pgsql extension has emerged as a point of concern for developers and system administrators alike. This flaw, identified as CVE-2025-1735, is classified with moderate severity and stems from the extension’s inadequate error checking during the input data escaping process. Specifically, the extension fails to pass error parameters to the PQescapeStringConn() function, inhibiting its ability to report encoding errors. Furthermore, multiple calls to PQescapeIdentifier() do not verify whether the returned value is NULL, a known method for signaling errors within these functions.

This oversight presents two critical issues: the potential for SQL injection attacks and application crashes resulting from null pointer dereferences. The vulnerability impacts PHP versions prior to 8.1.33, 8.2.29, 8.3.23, and 8.4.10. Developers utilizing these versions are strongly encouraged to upgrade without delay, as patched releases are now accessible.

The underlying cause of this vulnerability is closely linked to a recent PostgreSQL vulnerability, (CVE-2025-1094), which revealed flaws in how escaping functions manage invalid multibyte characters. This issue can be exploited to circumvent traditional SQL injection defenses.

Broader Security Implications and Urgent Mitigation Steps

The ramifications of this vulnerability are profound. Should an attacker manage to inject malicious input containing invalid multibyte characters, the lack of adequate error checking in the PHP pgsql extension could allow this input to bypass escaping mechanisms. Consequently, this could lead to unauthorized SQL commands being executed on the database, thereby jeopardizing the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of critical data. In certain scenarios, improper error handling may also result in application crashes, heightening the risk of denial-of-service attacks.

Security experts underscore the necessity of prompt patching and rigorous input validation. Organizations employing PHP with PostgreSQL should ensure they are operating the latest versions of both PHP and PostgreSQL, as updates have been released to rectify these vulnerabilities. Additionally, conducting regular security audits and adhering to secure coding practices are vital to reducing exposure to similar flaws in the future. The interconnected nature of these vulnerabilities highlights the importance of a proactive, multi-layered security strategy in contemporary web application development.

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Critical PHP Vulnerabilities Expose Systems to SQL Injection & DoS Attacks