CVE-2025-4807: Student Clearance System Info Disclosure

CVE-2025-4807 Overview

A directory listing information disclosure vulnerability has been identified in SourceCodester Online Student Clearance System version 1.0. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to enumerate directory contents and potentially discover sensitive files, configuration data, or other information that should not be publicly accessible. The vulnerability exists due to improper web server configuration that fails to restrict directory browsing.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can enumerate directory contents without authentication, potentially exposing sensitive application files, configuration data, backup files, and internal application structure that could facilitate further attacks.

Affected Products

• SourceCodester Online Student Clearance System 1.0
• Senior-walter Online Student Clearance System

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-05-16 - CVE-2025-4807 published to NVD
• 2025-05-28 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-4807

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability falls under CWE-548 (Exposure of Information Through Directory Listing) and CWE-22 (Path Traversal). The Online Student Clearance System fails to properly restrict directory browsing on its web server, allowing unauthenticated users to view the contents of directories within the application's web root. This information disclosure issue can reveal the application's file structure, potentially exposing backup files, configuration files, log files, or other sensitive data that developers may have inadvertently left accessible.

The exploit has been publicly disclosed, meaning that attackers have access to information about how to exploit this vulnerability. Organizations using this software should treat this as an active risk requiring immediate attention.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is improper web server configuration. The application does not disable directory indexing on the web server, nor does it include proper index.html or index.php files in all directories to prevent automatic directory listing. When a user navigates to a directory URL without specifying a file, the web server responds with a full listing of all files and subdirectories contained within that path. This is a common misconfiguration in PHP-based applications hosted on Apache or similar web servers.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based and requires no authentication or user interaction. An attacker simply needs to browse to directory paths within the application's URL structure. By systematically probing different directory paths, an attacker can enumerate the entire application structure.

The exploitation process typically involves:

1. Identifying the target application URL
2. Appending common directory names to the base URL (e.g., /uploads/, /includes/, /backup/, /admin/)
3. Observing the directory listing returned by the server
4. Downloading any sensitive files discovered during enumeration
5. Using gathered information to plan further attacks against the application

This type of reconnaissance can reveal database backup files, configuration files containing credentials, uploaded documents, or other sensitive information that should not be publicly accessible.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-4807

Indicators of Compromise

• HTTP requests targeting directory paths without specific filenames (e.g., requests ending with /)
• Sequential requests probing common directory names such as /backup/, /uploads/, /includes/, /config/, /admin/
• Web server access logs showing 200 responses for directory-only requests
• Unusual download patterns for files that should not be publicly accessible

Detection Strategies

• Monitor web server access logs for requests that return directory listings (typically identified by lack of a filename in the request path)
• Configure web application firewalls (WAF) to detect and alert on directory enumeration attempts
• Implement intrusion detection system (IDS) rules to identify directory traversal and enumeration patterns
• Review access logs for sequential requests to multiple directory paths from the same source IP

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed web server logging including response codes and bytes transferred
• Set up alerts for HTTP 200 responses to directory-level requests
• Monitor for bulk file downloads that may indicate data exfiltration following successful enumeration
• Implement file integrity monitoring on sensitive directories to detect unauthorized access

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-4807

Immediate Actions Required

• Disable directory indexing in the web server configuration immediately
• Review all directories within the application web root and add appropriate index files
• Audit the application for any sensitive files that may have been exposed
• Check web server logs for evidence of prior exploitation attempts
• Consider restricting access to the application until proper security controls are in place

Patch Information

As of the last modification date of 2025-05-28, no official patch has been released by the vendor. Organizations should implement the workarounds described below and monitor SourceCodester Security Resources for security updates. Additional technical details about this vulnerability are available in the GitHub CVE Issue Discussion and VulDB #309261.

Workarounds

• Disable directory listing in Apache by adding Options -Indexes to the .htaccess file or virtual host configuration
• For Nginx, ensure autoindex off; is set in the server configuration
• Place empty index.html or index.php files in all directories that should not be browseable
• Remove any unnecessary files from the web root, including backup files, logs, and development artifacts
• Implement proper access controls to restrict access to sensitive directories

# Apache configuration to disable directory listing
# Add to .htaccess file in the application root
Options -Indexes

# Or add to virtual host configuration
<Directory /var/www/html/clearance-system>
    Options -Indexes
</Directory>

# For Nginx, add to server block
location / {
    autoindex off;
}