CVE-2023-6618VulnerabilityPublished 8 Dec 2023Updated 27 May 2025

CVE-2023-6618: SourceCodester Simple Student Attendance System · File Inclusion

Affects SourceCodester Simple Student Attendance SystemSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.5 Medium.

Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.5Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.8% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 58% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L

Attack Vector: Adjacent
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: Low
Integrity: Low
Availability: Low

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Adjacent: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack, but the attack is limited at the protocol level to a logically adjacent topology. This can mean an attack must be launched from the same shared physical (e.g., Bluetooth or IEEE 802.11) or logical (e.g., local IP subnet) network, or from within a secure or otherwise limited administrative domain (e.g., MPLS, secure VPN to an administrative network zone).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide basic user capabilities that could normally affect only settings and files owned by a user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges may have the ability to cause an impact only to non-sensitive resources.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the impacted component.
Integrity: Low: Modification of data is possible, but the attacker does not have control over the consequence of a modification, or the amount of modification is limited. The data modification does not have a direct, serious impact on the impacted component.
Availability: Low: Performance is reduced or there are interruptions in resource availability. Even if repeated exploitation of the vulnerability is possible, the attacker does not have the ability to completely deny service to legitimate users. The resources in the impacted component are either partially available all of the time, or fully available only some of the time, but overall there is no direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 8 Dec 2023
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-25.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
SourceCodester Simple Student Attendance System	Affected =1.0	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

To mitigate this vulnerability, organizations should first verify if they are running SourceCodester Simple Student Attendance System version 1.0 and assess exposure to the vulnerable index.php 'page' parameter. Employing web application firewalls (WAFs) with rules to detect and block file inclusion attempts can provide an additional layer of defense. Restricting network access to the application to trusted users and networks reduces the attack surface, given the attack vector requires network access. Monitoring logs for suspicious requests targeting the 'page' parameter is also recommended. Long-term, organizations should plan to upgrade to a patched version once available or consider alternative attendance systems with better security track records. Conducting regular security assessments and penetration tests focusing on file inclusion and input validation vulnerabilities will help identify and remediate similar issues proactively.

Description

A vulnerability was found in SourceCodester Simple Student Attendance System 1.0. It has been declared as problematic. Affected by this vulnerability is an unknown functionality of the file index.php. The manipulation of the argument page leads to file inclusion. The exploit has been disclosed to the public and may be used. The associated identifier of this vulnerability is VDB-247255.

Impact

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability depends largely on the deployment of the affected Simple Student Attendance System 1.0. Educational institutions or organizations using this system to track attendance could face unauthorized access to student data, including personally identifiable information (PII), which is subject to strict GDPR regulations. The file inclusion flaw could allow attackers to access configuration files, credentials, or other sensitive data, potentially leading to data breaches and compliance violations. Additionally, if exploited to alter attendance records or disrupt system availability, it could undermine operational integrity and trust. The medium severity score suggests moderate risk, but the potential for cascading effects, such as lateral movement within a network or privilege escalation, could increase the impact. European organizations must consider the reputational damage and legal consequences of data exposure, especially in sectors like education where data protection is critical.

Summary

CVE-2023-6618 is a medium severity vulnerability identified in SourceCodester Simple Student Attendance System version 1.0. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-73, which corresponds to improper file inclusion. Specifically, the issue arises from the manipulation of the 'page' parameter in the index.php file, which allows an attacker to include arbitrary files. This can lead to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information, modification of data, or disruption of service depending on the files included and the server configuration. The vulnerability requires low privileges (PR:L) and no user interaction (UI:N), but the attacker must have access to the network (AV:A), meaning exploitation is possible remotely but typically within the same network or VPN. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 5.5, reflecting a medium severity level with impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, albeit limited in scope and requiring some privileges. No public exploits are currently known in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet. The vulnerability could be exploited to read sensitive files or execute arbitrary code if combined with other vulnerabilities or misconfigurations, making it a notable risk for organizations using this software.

CWE-73External Control of File Name or Path (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessLikelihood of exploit: HighOWASP Top 10 A06:2025: Insecure Design (opens in a new tab)
The product allows user input to control or influence paths or file names that are used in filesystem operations.
Architecture and Design
When the set of filenames is limited or known, create a mapping from a set of fixed input values (such as numeric IDs) to the actual filenames, and reject all other inputs. For example, ID 1 could map to "inbox.txt" and ID 2 could map to "profile.txt".
Architecture and Design · Operation
Run your code in a "jail" or similar sandbox environment that enforces strict boundaries between the process and the operating system. This may effectively restrict all access to files within a particular directory.
Architecture and Design
For any security checks that are performed on the client side, ensure that these checks are duplicated on the server side, in order to avoid CWE-602. Attackers can bypass the client-side checks by modifying values after the checks have been performed, or by changing the client to remove the client-side checks…
OWASP Cheat Sheets
XML Security (opens in a new tab)
Mass Assignment (opens in a new tab)
Secure Design Principles (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V12.3.2 (opens in a new tab)
V13.3.1 (opens in a new tab)
V5.1.4 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Subverting Environment Variable Values (opens in a new tab)
Leverage Alternate Encoding (opens in a new tab)
Using Slashes and URL Encoding Combined to Bypass Validation Logic (opens in a new tab)
URL Encoding (opens in a new tab)
Manipulating Web Input to File System Calls (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 6 Jul 2025, 02:57 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-73

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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