CVE-2026-102842: HospitalManagement Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2026-102842 Overview

CVE-2026-102842 affects the gedelumbung HospitalManagement project, an open-source hospital management application distributed via GitHub. The flaw resides in the cekUserLogin function of application/models/app_user_login_model.php within the KCFinder File Manager component. Manipulation of the ADMIN_RS_KCFINDER argument leads to unrestricted file upload [CWE-284]. Attackers can exploit the issue remotely with low privileges and no user interaction. The project uses a rolling release model, so no specific fixed version is available. The maintainer was notified through an issue report but has not responded.

Critical Impact
An authenticated remote attacker can bypass upload restrictions in the KCFinder File Manager to place arbitrary files on the server, enabling further compromise of the application.

Affected Products

gedelumbung HospitalManagement (all commits up to c2d45543789a3887067d3915f69d44cfc2cf76a8)
KCFinder File Manager component as integrated in the project
Rolling-release distribution via the project's GitHub repository

Discovery Timeline

2026-09-30 - CVE CVE-2026-102842 published to NVD
2026-09-30 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-102842

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability exists in the authentication logic of the KCFinder File Manager integration. The cekUserLogin function in application/models/app_user_login_model.php evaluates the ADMIN_RS_KCFINDER argument to gate access to file management functions. Improper access control allows an attacker to influence this parameter and reach file upload functionality that should be restricted. Because KCFinder handles arbitrary file uploads, this improper control leads to unrestricted upload of files with dangerous types. The attack is executed over the network with low authentication requirements and no user interaction.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper access control [CWE-284] around the KCFinder session and permission check. The cekUserLogin routine does not sufficiently validate the ADMIN_RS_KCFINDER value before granting file-manager privileges. This weakness combines a broken authorization decision with a file-upload endpoint that lacks strict file-type and content validation.

Attack Vector

An attacker sends a crafted HTTP request that manipulates the ADMIN_RS_KCFINDER parameter to satisfy the access check performed by cekUserLogin. Once the check is bypassed, the attacker uses KCFinder's upload interface to place files of arbitrary type and content within the application's web-accessible directories. Depending on server configuration, uploaded scripts may be executed by the web server, providing a path to code execution or persistence. A public exploit is referenced in vendor advisories.

See VulDB CVE-2026-102842 and the GitHub Issue #8 Discussion for technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-102842

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected files, particularly .php, .phtml, .jsp, or .js payloads, appearing in KCFinder upload directories under the application's web root.
HTTP requests referencing the ADMIN_RS_KCFINDER parameter from external or untrusted sources.
Access log entries invoking KCFinder's browse.php or upload.php endpoints from unauthenticated sessions.

Detection Strategies

Inspect web server access logs for POST requests to KCFinder paths that succeed without prior authentication events.
Monitor file integrity on the KCFinder upload/ directory tree and alert on new executable or script files.
Correlate application logs from app_user_login_model.php with subsequent file-manager activity to identify anomalous authorization outcomes.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable verbose logging in the HospitalManagement application to capture the value of the ADMIN_RS_KCFINDER argument at authorization time.
Forward web server, PHP-FPM, and application logs to a centralized analytics platform for retention and correlation.
Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule set to log and block suspicious KCFinder upload attempts.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-102842

Immediate Actions Required

Restrict network access to the HospitalManagement application, permitting only trusted administrative IP ranges until a patch is available.
Disable or remove the bundled KCFinder File Manager component if it is not required for operations.
Enforce web server rules that reject uploads of executable script extensions to KCFinder directories.
Audit the KCFinder upload directories for any files placed after the affected commit c2d45543789a3887067d3915f69d44cfc2cf76a8.

Patch Information

No official patch has been released. The project follows a rolling-release model and the maintainer has not responded to the GitHub Issue #8 Discussion that reported the flaw. Track the GitHub Hospital Management Project repository for any future commits that harden cekUserLogin or replace the KCFinder integration.

Workarounds

Place the application behind an authenticated reverse proxy that terminates unauthenticated requests to /kcfinder/ paths.
Configure the web server to disable PHP execution within KCFinder upload directories using directives such as php_admin_flag engine off or equivalent location blocks.
Add a WAF rule that inspects and blocks requests containing the ADMIN_RS_KCFINDER parameter from untrusted sources.
Implement server-side allowlists for uploaded MIME types and file extensions at the reverse-proxy layer.

bash

# Example nginx configuration to disable script execution in KCFinder upload paths
location ~* ^/kcfinder/upload/.*\.(php|phtml|phar|jsp|js)$ {
    deny all;
    return 403;
}

location /kcfinder/ {
    # Require authentication at the proxy layer
    auth_basic "Restricted";
    auth_basic_user_file /etc/nginx/.htpasswd;
}