Description

A flaw has been found in sambitraj Student Management System up to 56ba287f2e9031523ccb4244cb6e3fe530e4e5d5. This impacts an unknown function of the file aca.sql of the component Password Handler. Executing a manipulation of the argument Password can lead to cleartext storage of sensitive information. The attack can be executed remotely. The exploit has been published and may be used. This product implements a rolling release for ongoing delivery, which means version information for affected or updated releases is unavailable.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "2.7",
  "pubDate": "2026-08-31T14:17:27.170Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-08-31T14:17:27.170Z",
  "executiveSummary": "A critical security vulnerability has been identified in the sambitraj Student Management System (up to commit 56ba287f2e9031523ccb4244cb6e3fe530e4e5d5) involving the insecure handling of authentication credentials.\nThe vulnerability resides within the Password Handler component, specifically impacting the aca.sql file, which governs database schema definitions or data initialization processes.\nThe flaw allows for the cleartext storage of sensitive information, specifically user passwords, within the underlying database.\nThis represents a severe security failure as it violates the principle of cryptographic password protection, enabling any unauthorized actor with read access to the database to recover valid credentials without the need for complex decryption or brute-force efforts.\nThe attack can be performed remotely, and with publicly available exploit details, the risk of credential harvesting is elevated.\nThe lack of a formal versioning system due to the rolling release model complicates patch management, requiring immediate manual audit of database schema and application logic.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability originates from the improper implementation of credential storage logic defined within aca.sql in the sambitraj Student Management System. Analysis indicates that the Password Handler component fails to apply cryptographic hashing algorithms (such as Argon2, bcrypt, or scrypt) to the 'Password' argument before persistence.\nInstead, the system utilizes a cleartext storage mechanism, storing sensitive authentication data in an unencrypted state. This is a fundamental violation of secure software development lifecycles (SSDLC) which mandate that passwords must only be stored as irreversible salted hashes.\nThe attack flow begins with the submission of user credentials through the application interface, which interacts with the Password Handler. Because the system lacks a hashing layer, the 'Password' input is passed directly to the SQL execution layer. When aca.sql is utilized to manage or initialize these records, the database schema consumes the input and stores it as plain text.\nAn attacker can exploit this remotely by navigating to the application endpoints that trigger user account creation or password updates. By manipulating the 'Password' argument during these requests, an adversary forces the system to commit the cleartext string to the backend database.\nOnce the data is persisted in cleartext, the impact is comprehensive. Any compromise of the database server—whether through SQL injection, unauthorized backup access, or insider threat—will result in the immediate exposure of all user credentials. Because the passwords are not hashed, an attacker does not need to invest time in cracking hashes; they acquire the plain-text passwords instantaneously.\nThe vulnerability is further exacerbated by the rolling release nature of the software, as there is no single version identifier to signify a patch state. This requires administrators to manually verify the database schema and application code for the presence of cryptographic functions. If the application is handling 'Password' inputs without verifying the entropy of the resulting stored data, it remains vulnerable to mass credential exposure."
}