CVE-2026-82698: Student Management System Auth Bypass

CVE-2026-82698 Overview

CVE-2026-82698 is a use of default password vulnerability [CWE-1393] affecting the sambitraj Student-Management-System project up to commit 56ba287f2e9031523ccb4244cb6e3fe530e4e5d5. The flaw resides in the aca.sql file, which ships with a default password embedded in the database schema. An unauthenticated remote attacker can leverage this static credential to access application accounts. The exploit is publicly disclosed. Because the project follows a rolling-release model, no fixed version identifier is available, and the maintainer has not responded to the issue report at the time of publication.

Critical Impact
Remote attackers can authenticate to affected Student-Management-System deployments using publicly known default credentials shipped in aca.sql.

Affected Products

sambitraj Student-Management-System (rolling release)
Deployments built from commits up to 56ba287f2e9031523ccb4244cb6e3fe530e4e5d5
The aca.sql database initialization script

Discovery Timeline

2026-08-31 - CVE-2026-82698 published to NVD
2026-08-31 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-82698

Vulnerability Analysis

The Student-Management-System repository provides a SQL initialization file, aca.sql, that seeds the database with one or more accounts using a hardcoded default password. Administrators who deploy the application without rotating the seeded credentials leave those accounts reachable over the network. Because the credential value is present in a public GitHub repository, any attacker who identifies an exposed instance can authenticate without exploiting a memory or logic flaw. The vulnerability is classified under [CWE-1393: Use of Default Password].

Root Cause

The root cause is the inclusion of a static, well-known password inside a source-controlled SQL bootstrap file. The initialization workflow does not force a password change on first login, nor does it randomize seed credentials during installation. Any deployment produced from the affected commits inherits the same credential material, defeating account isolation between installations.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires no privileges, no user interaction, and no local access. An attacker enumerates Student-Management-System instances reachable over HTTP, submits the default username and password published in aca.sql, and obtains authenticated access to the application. From that position, the attacker can read or manipulate student records exposed to the compromised account. No exploitation code is required beyond a standard login request. See the VulDB entry for CVE-2026-82698 and the maintainer issue report for additional context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-82698

Indicators of Compromise

Successful application logins using the default account name and password values contained in aca.sql
Authentication events originating from unexpected geographic locations or hosting-provider IP ranges
Database queries executed from application sessions that were never manually provisioned by an administrator

Detection Strategies

Inspect the deployed database for accounts whose password hashes match the values distributed in the upstream aca.sql file
Audit web server access logs for POST requests to the login endpoint that immediately produce authenticated session cookies without prior password reset events
Correlate first-time administrative actions with account creation timestamps to detect use of pre-seeded credentials

Monitoring Recommendations

Alert on any authentication using seeded usernames present in aca.sql
Monitor for changes to student or grade records performed by accounts that have never rotated their initial password
Track outbound connections from the application host that could indicate post-authentication data exfiltration

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-82698

Immediate Actions Required

Rotate all accounts seeded by aca.sql immediately and invalidate any existing sessions
Restrict network exposure of Student-Management-System instances to trusted networks or VPN access
Review database contents for accounts that still carry the upstream default password hash and disable them

Patch Information

No vendor patch is available. The maintainer has been notified through GitHub Issue #7 but has not responded. Because the project uses a rolling release without version tags, operators must apply mitigations manually rather than upgrade to a fixed release. Track the upstream repository for future commits that remove the default credential.

Workarounds

Edit aca.sql before deployment to remove seeded credentials or replace them with randomly generated values per installation
Enforce a mandatory password change on first login through an application-layer wrapper or reverse proxy
Place the application behind an authenticating proxy that requires additional credentials beyond the built-in login form
Remove or disable any seeded administrative accounts that are not required for operations

bash

# Configuration example: rotate the seeded account password directly in MySQL
# Replace the placeholder values with the seeded account name and a strong password
mysql -u root -p <<'SQL'
USE academic;
UPDATE users
   SET password = SHA2('REPLACE_WITH_STRONG_PASSWORD', 256)
 WHERE username = 'REPLACE_WITH_SEEDED_ACCOUNT';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
SQL