# CVE-2025-12615: PHPGurukul News Portal settings.py hard-coded key

> Remote attackers can exploit a hard-coded cryptographic key in the News Portal settings to bypass security mechanisms.

- **Severity:** Low 2.3 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:L/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 3 Nov 2025
- **Updated:** 24 Feb 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-q2gf-mw7m-x2mr

## What is CVE-2025-12615?

CVE-2025-12615 is a low-severity vulnerability in PHPGurukul News Portal, published on 3 Nov 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

A security vulnerability has been detected in PHPGurukul News Portal 1.0. The affected element is an unknown function of the file /onps/settings.py. Such manipulation of the argument SECRET_KEY leads to use of hard-coded cryptographic key
 . The attack may be performed from remote. The attack requires a high level of complexity. The exploitability is described as difficult. The exploit has been disclosed publicly and may be used.

Weakness: CWE-321 (Use of Hard-coded Cryptographic Key), CWE-320

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-12615?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Phpgurukul News Portal.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-12615?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-12615 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-12615 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2025-12615 exists.

## Other vulnerabilities in PHPGurukul News Portal

- [CVE-2025-69991](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-69991/): SQL injection in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2025-69992](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-69992/): File upload in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2025-69990](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-69990/): Path traversal in n/a (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2025-4873](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-4873/): PHPGurukul News Portal Login index.php sql injection (medium 6.9)
- [CVE-2025-4874](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-4874/): PHPGurukul News Portal Project contactus.php sql injection (medium 6.9)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-12615 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-12615 is a low-severity vulnerability in PHPGurukul News Portal, published on 3 Nov 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2025-12615 exists.

Affected product: PHPGurukul News Portal. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-12615/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-12615/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-12615
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-12615
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-12615

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-12615/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.