CVE-2023-44752: Authentication Bypass Vulnerability in Student Study Center Desk Management System

Overview

A serious vulnerability has been identified in the Student Study Center Desk Management System v1.0 that could potentially lead to system compromise or data leakage. Tagged as CVE-2023-44752, this vulnerability allows attackers to bypass authentication through a specifically crafted GET request. This poses a significant threat to any organization or individual employing this system, as unauthorized access to sensitive information could lead to critical data loss or manipulation.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2023-44752
Severity: Critical (CVSS Score: 9.8)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: System compromise or data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

Student Study Center Desk Management System | v1.0

How the Exploit Works

The exploit takes advantage of an issue in the authentication mechanism of the Student Study Center Desk Management System. Specifically, it involves sending a specially crafted GET request to /php-sscdms/admin/login.php. This request effectively tricks the system into bypassing the authentication process, allowing an attacker unauthorized access to the system.

Conceptual Example Code

While this is only a conceptual example and may not accurately represent the actual exploit, it is intended to provide a basic understanding of how the malicious GET request might be structured:

GET /php-sscdms/admin/login.php?auth_bypass=1 HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.edu

This HTTP request pretends to be a legitimate request, but actually contains a payload (`auth_bypass=1`) that exploits the vulnerability in question.

Impact and Mitigation

The impact of this vulnerability is significant. An attacker can gain unauthorized access to the system, potentially leading to system compromise or data leakage. This can lead to unauthorized changes to data, loss of data, or theft of sensitive information.
To mitigate this vulnerability, users of the affected system are strongly advised to apply the vendor-supplied patch as soon as possible. If a patch is not immediately available, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) as a temporary mitigation measure is recommended. These systems can help detect and block malicious traffic exploiting this vulnerability. However, these are temporary measures and applying the vendor patch is the recommended long-term solution.