Description

A vulnerability was identified in SourceCodester Syllabus-Aligned Learning Management & Examination System 1.0. This affects an unknown function of the file cict_portal.sql. Such manipulation leads to cleartext storage of sensitive information. It is possible to launch the attack remotely. The exploit is publicly available and might be used.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "5.3",
  "pubDate": "2026-09-07T08:17:13.897Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-09-07T08:17:13.897Z",
  "executiveSummary": "A critical security vulnerability exists in the SourceCodester Syllabus-Aligned Learning Management & Examination System 1.0, specifically involving the improper handling of sensitive data.\nThe vulnerability is categorized as cleartext storage of sensitive information, where critical user credentials or sensitive system data are stored without cryptographic protection or hashing within the cict_portal.sql file.\nThis flaw allows unauthorized entities to gain access to sensitive information, leading to a complete compromise of user accounts, including administrative privileges.\nThe attack vector is remote, meaning that if the database configuration files or SQL dumps are accessible via web exposure, an attacker can extract credentials without requiring prior authentication.\nThe availability of public exploit material increases the risk of targeted attacks against deployments of this system.\nThe primary risk implication is a total breach of data confidentiality, potential unauthorized modification of system data, and loss of integrity for the entire learning management infrastructure.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability resides within the architectural design of the SourceCodester Syllabus-Aligned Learning Management & Examination System 1.0, specifically pertaining to the database initialization scripts contained in the cict_portal.sql file.\nThe root cause is the implementation of a storage mechanism that commits sensitive information, such as user passwords or administrative tokens, directly into the database in plain-text format.\nDuring the installation or database seeding process, the system fails to utilize industry-standard cryptographic hashing functions, such as Argon2 or Bcrypt, before committing records to the underlying SQL database tables.\nThe exploitation flow begins with an attacker identifying a target installation where the web server misconfiguration or directory traversal vulnerability allows access to the source code repository or the database schema file (cict_portal.sql).\nAlternatively, if the database itself is exposed to the internet or accessible through a separate SQL injection vulnerability, an attacker can perform a SELECT operation on the user table to retrieve the entire credential set.\nBecause the storage is cleartext, the attacker does not need to perform expensive offline dictionary or brute-force attacks to recover the original passwords; the data is immediately usable for unauthorized authentication.\nThe impact of this exploit is significant; once an attacker gains access to administrative cleartext credentials, they can manipulate course content, alter examination results, and manage user enrollment records with full authority.\nFurthermore, since many users employ password reuse, the compromised credentials obtained from this portal could be used to facilitate credential stuffing attacks against other external services used by the system administrators.\nThe technical failure here is a violation of secure storage practices; the reliance on the database schema file to house sensitive data in a readable format bypasses all application-level access controls, effectively rendering the system's authentication mechanism useless against an attacker who can read the data store."
}