Description

A vulnerability was identified in SourceCodester Online Examination & Learning Management System 1.0. Impacted is an unknown function of the file view_students.php. Such manipulation of the argument class_group leads to authorization bypass. The attack may be launched remotely.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "4.3",
  "pubDate": "2026-08-06T22:16:53.943Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-08-06T22:16:53.943Z",
  "executiveSummary": "An authorization bypass vulnerability has been identified within SourceCodester Online Examination & Learning Management System 1.0, specifically residing in an unknown function processing the class_group parameter within the file view_students.php.\nThis security flaw enables remote attackers to bypass access control mechanisms and interact with administrative or restricted functionalities without proper validation of user privileges.\nThe vulnerability directly impacts the integrity and confidentiality of student data management within the application, as unauthorized entities may gain access to sensitive educational records and student listings.\nThe risk implications are significant for deployments utilizing this software, potentially leading to unauthorized data exposure and privilege escalation scenarios.\nExploitation requires network connectivity to the target application and the ability to manipulate HTTP request parameters targeting the vulnerable endpoint remotely, without necessitating prior authentication depending on the surrounding session context.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability exists due to insufficient access control enforcement and improper validation of user authorization states within the file view_students.php in SourceCodester Online Examination & Learning Management System 1.0.\nSpecifically, the flaw is triggered through the manipulation of the class_group argument passed to the vulnerable script, which fails to adequately verify whether the requesting user possesses the necessary administrative or instructor privileges to view specific student groupings.\nThe root cause stems from a broken access control pattern where input parameters governing data visibility are trusted implicitly or checked inadequately against session context and role-based permissions.\nFrom an attack flow perspective, a remote attacker initiates an HTTP request targeting the view_students.php endpoint. By supplying a manipulated or crafted value within the class_group parameter, the attacker evades programmatic checks designed to restrict access to authorized personnel.\nUpon processing the request, the application queries the backend database or internal data structures based on the supplied class_group argument without validating the requester's authorization boundary.\nThis behavior results in the unauthorized retrieval and rendering of restricted student records, bypassing the intended security controls of the learning management system.\nThe network exposure of this vulnerability is remote, allowing unauthenticated or low-privileged adversaries to interact directly with the web application over standard HTTP/HTTPS channels.\nPost-exploitation impact includes the unauthorized exposure of student information, potential enumeration of system users, and erosion of the application's confidentiality guarantees."
}