CVE-2024-0188: RRJ Engineer Portal Auth Bypass Flaw

CVE-2024-0188 Overview

CVE-2024-0188 affects RRJ Nueva Ecija Engineer Online Portal version 1.0. The vulnerability resides in the change_password_teacher.php file and stems from weak password requirements [CWE-521]. Attackers can exploit this flaw remotely without authentication. The exploit has been publicly disclosed, increasing the risk of opportunistic abuse against exposed deployments.

The weakness allows adversaries to set or guess passwords that fail to meet basic complexity standards. Successful exploitation can compromise teacher account credentials and the data they protect. The vulnerability was assigned identifier VDB-249501.

Critical Impact
Attackers can compromise teacher accounts in the portal by leveraging weak password policies, leading to unauthorized access to confidentiality, integrity, and availability of stored data.

Affected Products

RRJ Nueva Ecija Engineer Online Portal 1.0
Component: change_password_teacher.php
Vendor: nia

Discovery Timeline

2024-01-02 - CVE-2024-0188 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-0188

Vulnerability Analysis

The RRJ Nueva Ecija Engineer Online Portal exposes a password change endpoint in change_password_teacher.php that does not enforce strong password policies. The application accepts short, simple, or predictable passwords during the password update workflow. This violates the principle of defense-in-depth for credential management.

The issue is classified under CWE-521 (Weak Password Requirements). The portal fails to enforce minimum length, character class diversity, or rejection of common dictionary terms. Attackers can leverage this gap to brute force or guess credentials with relatively low cost.

The EPSS probability for CVE-2024-0188 is 0.704% as of the most recent scoring update.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing server-side validation of password complexity in the change_password_teacher.php script. The application accepts any string supplied by the user without checking length, entropy, or composition rules. There is no integration with a password strength library or blocklist of common passwords.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based. A remote unauthenticated attacker reaches the portal, then targets accounts protected only by weak passwords accepted through the vulnerable change-password flow. High attack complexity reflects the conditions needed to successfully chain weak credentials with a target account, but the exploit has been publicly disclosed.

No verified proof-of-concept code is available in public exploit databases. The vulnerability mechanism is documented in the VulDB #249501 entry and the VulDB CTI record.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-0188

Indicators of Compromise

Repeated POST requests to change_password_teacher.php from a single source IP within short time windows.
Successful authentication events for teacher accounts following bulk password change activity.
Web server logs showing password change requests with short or low-entropy payloads.

Detection Strategies

Monitor HTTP access logs for anomalous request patterns targeting the password change endpoint.
Deploy WAF rules that inspect password parameters and reject entries below minimum complexity thresholds.
Correlate failed login attempts with successful password changes to identify credential stuffing or guessing campaigns.

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward web application logs to a centralized SIEM for retention and analysis.
Alert on multiple password change events for distinct accounts originating from the same client.
Track new logins from unusual geolocations following password updates on the portal.

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-0188

Immediate Actions Required

Restrict network access to the portal until a fix is applied, using IP allowlists or VPN gating.
Audit teacher accounts and force a password reset that meets strong complexity requirements.
Implement multi-factor authentication on the portal where feasible to reduce single-factor credential risk.

Patch Information

No vendor patch is currently referenced for CVE-2024-0188 in the available advisory data. Operators should monitor vendor channels and the VulDB entry for updates. Consider replacing the affected portal if vendor support is not available.

Workarounds

Add server-side validation in change_password_teacher.php to enforce a minimum length of 12 characters with mixed character classes.
Integrate a common-password blocklist such as the Have I Been Pwned password list during the change workflow.
Deploy a reverse proxy or WAF rule that rejects password parameters failing entropy checks before they reach the application.

bash

# Example ModSecurity rule to reject short passwords on the change endpoint
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@endsWith change_password_teacher.php" \
  "chain,phase:2,deny,status:400,id:1000188,msg:'Weak password rejected (CVE-2024-0188)'"
SecRule ARGS:password "@lt 12" "t:length"