CVE-2022-40087 is a critical arbitrary file write vulnerability identified in Simple College Website v1.0. The vulnerability arises from improper handling of file operations via the PHP function file_put_contents(), which allows an attacker to write arbitrary files to the server. By exploiting this flaw, an attacker can upload a crafted PHP file, enabling remote code execution (RCE) on the affected system without requiring any authentication or user interaction. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-434 (Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type), indicating that the application fails to properly validate or restrict file types or content during upload or file write operations. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 9.8, reflecting a critical severity due to the vulnerability's network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H). Although the specific vendor or product details beyond the Simple College Website v1.0 are not provided, the vulnerability allows attackers to execute arbitrary code remotely, potentially leading to full system compromise. No patches or known exploits in the wild have been reported as of the publication date (September 22, 2022).

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2022-40087 can be significant, especially for educational institutions or entities using the Simple College Website v1.0 or similar vulnerable web applications. Successful exploitation can lead to complete server takeover, data breaches involving sensitive student or staff information, disruption of educational services, and potential lateral movement within organizational networks. The confidentiality, integrity, and availability of affected systems are severely compromised, which could result in regulatory non-compliance under GDPR due to unauthorized access or data leakage. Additionally, compromised servers could be leveraged to launch further attacks, including ransomware or supply chain attacks, amplifying the threat landscape for European organizations. The lack of authentication or user interaction requirements makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous, as attackers can exploit it remotely and autonomously over the internet.

To mitigate CVE-2022-40087, organizations should first identify any deployments of Simple College Website v1.0 or similar vulnerable web applications. Since no official patches are currently available, immediate mitigation steps include disabling or restricting file upload and file write functionalities where possible. Implement strict server-side validation to restrict file types and content, ensuring only safe file formats are accepted. Employ web application firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block malicious payloads targeting file upload endpoints. Conduct thorough code reviews to replace unsafe file handling functions like file_put_contents() with secure alternatives that include input validation and sanitization. Additionally, isolate web applications in segmented network zones with minimal privileges to limit the impact of potential exploitation. Regularly monitor logs for suspicious file creation or modification activities and consider deploying endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to detect anomalous behavior indicative of exploitation attempts. Finally, maintain up-to-date backups and develop incident response plans tailored to web application compromises.