Critical Authentication Bypass in Apache Student Study Center Desk Management System (CVE-2023-44752)

A critical authentication bypass vulnerability (CVE-2023-44752) has been identified in the Apache Student Study Center Desk Management System (SSCDMS) v1.0, allowing attackers to gain unauthorized access via crafted GET requests. With a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical), this flaw poses significant risks to educational institutions and organizations using this software. The vulnerability stems from improper authentication (CWE-287) in the `/php-sscdms/admin/login.php` endpoint, enabling attackers to bypass login mechanisms entirely¹.

Technical Analysis

The vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to manipulate HTTP requests to the login page, granting administrative access without valid credentials. According to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD), this flaw requires no user interaction or special privileges, making it particularly dangerous in exposed deployments². The exploit has been confirmed in version 1.0 of the software, though older versions may also be affected.

Security researchers have published a Proof of Concept (PoC) demonstrating the bypass technique, which involves sending specially crafted parameters to the login endpoint³. While the exact payload hasn’t been publicly disclosed to prevent widespread exploitation, the vulnerability’s simplicity suggests rapid weaponization is likely. The system’s widespread use in educational environments amplifies its potential impact.

Related Vulnerabilities

The Student Study Center Desk Management System has multiple other security issues, including:

CVE-2023-1407: SQL Injection via `/admin/user/manage_user.php` (CVSS 7.2)
CVE-2023-1467: Arbitrary File Deletion (CVSS 9.8)
CVE-2023-36317: Stored XSS (CVSS 4.8)

These additional flaws compound the risk profile, as successful authentication bypass could enable chained attacks using these secondary vulnerabilities⁴. The system’s security posture suggests inadequate input validation and authentication controls throughout its codebase.

Mitigation and Remediation

Organizations using SSCDMS should immediately:

Isolate affected systems from untrusted networks
Monitor for suspicious authentication attempts
Apply vendor patches when available

As no official patch exists as of April 2025, temporary workarounds include implementing web application firewalls (WAFs) with rules to block suspicious login attempts and restricting access to the admin interface at the network level⁵. System administrators should also review logs for unexpected successful logins from unusual IP addresses.

Conclusion

CVE-2023-44752 represents a severe threat to organizations using the vulnerable Student Study Center Desk Management System. The combination of easy exploitation and critical impact warrants immediate attention from security teams. This case highlights the ongoing challenges of securing web applications with inadequate authentication mechanisms, particularly in specialized software with limited security scrutiny.