CVE-2025-11659: School Management System RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2025-11659 Overview

A critical unrestricted file upload vulnerability has been identified in Oranbyte School Management System, affecting versions up to commit 6b6fae5426044f89c08d0dd101c7fa71f9042a59. The vulnerability exists in the /assets/uploadNotes.php endpoint, where improper validation of the File argument allows attackers to upload arbitrary files to the server. This flaw can be exploited remotely without authentication, potentially leading to remote code execution, server compromise, or data theft.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this unrestricted file upload vulnerability to upload malicious files, potentially achieving code execution on the target server and compromising the entire school management system.

Affected Products

• Oranbyte School Management System up to commit 6b6fae5426044f89c08d0dd101c7fa71f9042a59
• Oranbyte School Management System version 1.0

Discovery Timeline

• October 13, 2025 - CVE-2025-11659 published to NVD
• October 16, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-11659

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability falls under CWE-434 (Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type) and CWE-284 (Improper Access Control). The affected endpoint /assets/uploadNotes.php fails to properly validate uploaded files, allowing attackers to bypass intended security restrictions. The lack of file type validation, combined with missing access controls, creates a dangerous attack surface that can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring any authentication or user interaction.

The vulnerability enables attackers to upload files with arbitrary extensions, including executable scripts such as PHP webshells. Once uploaded, these malicious files can be accessed directly through the web server, enabling remote code execution with the privileges of the web server process.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is the absence of proper input validation and access control mechanisms in the file upload functionality. The /assets/uploadNotes.php script does not implement:

• File extension whitelisting or blacklisting
• MIME type verification
• Content-based file type detection
• Authentication requirements for the upload endpoint
• Proper access control checks before processing uploads

This lack of security controls allows any remote attacker to upload arbitrary files directly to the server.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, requiring no authentication or user interaction. An attacker can craft a malicious HTTP POST request to the /assets/uploadNotes.php endpoint with a specially crafted file payload. The manipulation of the File parameter allows uploading files with dangerous extensions that can be executed by the web server.

A typical attack scenario involves:

1. Crafting a malicious PHP webshell or other executable script
2. Sending an HTTP POST request to /assets/uploadNotes.php with the malicious file
3. Accessing the uploaded file through the web server to execute arbitrary code
4. Establishing persistent access or exfiltrating sensitive data from the school management system

Exploit details have been published publicly, increasing the risk of active exploitation. For technical details, refer to the GitHub CVE Issue Discussion and VulDB entry #328076.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-11659

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual HTTP POST requests to /assets/uploadNotes.php from external IP addresses
• Newly created files with executable extensions (.php, .phtml, .phar) in the upload directories
• Web server access logs showing requests to unfamiliar files in the assets or upload directories
• Unexpected outbound network connections from the web server process

Detection Strategies

• Monitor web server logs for POST requests to /assets/uploadNotes.php with suspicious file attachments
• Implement file integrity monitoring on web-accessible directories to detect unauthorized file additions
• Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to inspect and block file upload requests containing dangerous file types
• Use endpoint detection solutions to identify webshell behavior and unauthorized process execution

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for all file upload operations and authentication events
• Configure alerts for file creation events in web-accessible directories
• Monitor for command execution patterns typical of webshell activity (e.g., cmd.exe, /bin/sh invocations)
• Review web server process behavior for anomalous child processes or network connections

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-11659

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict access to /assets/uploadNotes.php endpoint via web server configuration or firewall rules
• Implement authentication and authorization checks for all file upload functionality
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with rules to block malicious file upload attempts
• Audit the upload directories for any suspicious or recently added files and remove unauthorized content

Patch Information

Oranbyte School Management System follows a rolling release approach for continuous delivery, which means specific version numbers for patched releases are not provided. Organizations should pull the latest version from the project repository and verify that the uploadNotes.php file has been updated with proper input validation and access controls.

Check the project's commit history for security-related updates addressing file upload validation. Monitor the VulDB entry and project repository for official patch announcements.

Workarounds

• Disable or remove the /assets/uploadNotes.php endpoint if the file upload functionality is not critical to operations
• Implement strict file extension whitelisting at the web server level, allowing only safe file types
• Configure the web server to prevent execution of scripts in upload directories using directives like php_flag engine off
• Use a reverse proxy or WAF to filter incoming requests and block suspicious file upload attempts

# Apache configuration to disable PHP execution in upload directories
<Directory "/var/www/html/assets/">
    php_flag engine off
    Options -ExecCGI
    AddHandler cgi-script .php .phtml .phar
    RemoveHandler .php .phtml .phar
</Directory>