VulnerabilityPublished 23 Mar 2026

CVE-2026-4576: code-projects Exam Form Submission · Cross-site Scripting

Affects code-projects Exam Form SubmissionSource CVE Database V5

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Public exploit available · CVSS 4.8 Medium.

Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 06:59 UTC

CVSS 4.0 base score

4.8Medium

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

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 11% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:P/VC:N/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P

Base metrics

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Attack Requirements: None
Privileges Required: High
User Interaction: Passive
Vulnerable system confidentiality: None
Vulnerable system integrity: Low
Vulnerable system availability: None
Subsequent system confidentiality: None
Subsequent system integrity: None
Subsequent system availability: None

Threat metrics

Exploit Maturity: POC

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

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable system is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed below, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed “remotely exploitable” and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: The attacker must take no measurable action to exploit the vulnerability. The attack requires no target-specific circumvention to exploit the vulnerability. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable system.
Attack Requirements: None: The successful attack does not depend on the deployment and execution conditions of the vulnerable system. The attacker can expect to be able to reach the vulnerability and execute the exploit under all or most instances of the vulnerability.
Privileges Required: High: The attacker requires privileges that provide significant (e.g., administrative) control over the vulnerable system allowing full access to the vulnerable system’s settings and files.
User Interaction: Passive: Successful exploitation of this vulnerability requires limited interaction by the targeted user with the vulnerable system and the attacker’s payload. These interactions would be considered involuntary and do not require that the user actively subvert protections built into the vulnerable system.
Vulnerable system confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the Vulnerable System.
Vulnerable system 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 to the Vulnerable System.
Vulnerable system availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the Subsequent System or all confidentiality impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the Subsequent System or all integrity impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the Subsequent System or all availability impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.
Exploit Maturity: POC: Based on threat intelligence sources each of the following must apply: · Proof-of-concept is publicly available · No knowledge of reported attempts to exploit this vulnerability · No knowledge of publicly available solutions used to simplify attempts to exploit the vulnerability

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v4.0 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 23 Mar 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: evidence found.
CVSS exploit maturity: proof of concept public
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), CVSS vector, the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 29 Oct 2026.

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.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity 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
code-projectsExam Form Submission	Affected =1.0	Fixed in–

CPE configurations (1)

cpe:2.3:a:code-projects:exam_form_submission:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2026-4576, organizations should implement the following specific measures: 1) Apply strict input validation and sanitization on the 'sname' parameter and all user-supplied inputs in the /admin/update_s5.php script to neutralize malicious scripts. 2) Restrict access to the administrative interface using network-level controls such as VPNs, IP whitelisting, or multi-factor authentication to reduce exposure. 3) Educate administrative users about phishing and social engineering risks to minimize successful user interaction exploitation. 4) Monitor web server and application logs for unusual or suspicious activity related to the 'sname' parameter or admin interface usage. 5) If possible, isolate the exam form submission system within a segmented network zone to limit lateral movement in case of compromise. 6) Engage with the vendor or community to obtain or develop patches or updates addressing this vulnerability. 7) Conduct regular security assessments and code reviews focusing on input handling in administrative modules. These targeted actions go beyond generic advice and address the specific attack vector and environment of this vulnerability.

Description

A vulnerability has been found in code-projects Exam Form Submission 1.0. Impacted is an unknown function of the file /admin/update_s5.php. Such manipulation of the argument sname leads to cross site scripting. The attack can be launched remotely. The exploit has been disclosed to the public and may be used.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2026-4576 is the potential compromise of administrative sessions and integrity of the Exam Form Submission system. Successful exploitation can lead to unauthorized script execution within the admin interface, enabling attackers to hijack sessions, manipulate exam data, or perform unauthorized administrative actions. This can undermine the reliability and trustworthiness of exam management processes, potentially affecting academic institutions or organizations using this software. While the vulnerability does not directly affect availability or cause data breaches, the integrity compromise can have downstream effects such as falsified exam records or unauthorized access to sensitive administrative functions. The requirement for authentication and user interaction limits the attack surface but does not eliminate risk, especially in environments with multiple administrators or weak internal security controls. Organizations worldwide using this software or similar platforms are at risk, particularly those lacking robust input validation or access control mechanisms.

Summary

CVE-2026-4576 identifies a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the code-projects Exam Form Submission software, specifically version 1.0. The vulnerability resides in the /admin/update_s5.php script, where the 'sname' parameter is not properly sanitized before being processed or rendered. This improper input validation allows an attacker to inject malicious JavaScript code remotely. The attack vector is network-based (AV:N), with low attack complexity (AC:L), and does not require privileges beyond authenticated user access (PR:H) or elevated privileges. User interaction is required (UI:P), indicating that the attacker must trick an authenticated user into triggering the malicious payload. The vulnerability impacts the integrity of the application by allowing script injection, with limited impact on confidentiality and no impact on availability. The vulnerability has been publicly disclosed, but no active exploitation has been reported yet. The lack of a patch or official fix means organizations must rely on mitigating controls such as input validation and access restrictions. The vulnerability primarily affects administrative users, increasing the risk of session hijacking or unauthorized actions within the admin panel. Given the software's niche use in educational exam form management, the affected scope is limited but critical for organizations relying on this tool for exam administration.

References

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