CVE-2020-36062 in Dairy Farm Shop Management System
Summary
by MITRE • 02/11/2022
Dairy Farm Shop Management System v1.0 was discovered to contain hardcoded credentials in the source code which allows attackers access to the control panel if compromised.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/16/2022
The Dairy Farm Shop Management System version 1.0 presents a critical security vulnerability through the inclusion of hardcoded credentials within its source code. This flaw represents a fundamental failure in secure coding practices and exposes the system to unauthorized access risks. The presence of hardcoded authentication credentials directly violates established security principles and creates a persistent backdoor that remains active regardless of password changes or security updates. Such vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous because they provide attackers with permanent access paths that are often overlooked during routine security assessments.
This vulnerability falls under the CWE-798 category of Using Hardcoded Credentials, which is classified as a high-risk security flaw in the Common Weakness Enumeration catalog. The issue creates a direct pathway for attackers to bypass normal authentication mechanisms and gain immediate administrative access to the control panel. The hardcoded credentials effectively eliminate the need for brute force attacks or other credential harvesting techniques, as the attacker only needs to locate the source code to obtain valid login information. This type of vulnerability is commonly exploited in the initial access phase of cyber attacks and aligns with techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under Initial Access and Credential Access tactics.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access to encompass potential data breaches, system compromise, and business disruption. Attackers who discover these hardcoded credentials can immediately access sensitive business information including customer data, financial records, inventory management details, and operational parameters. The control panel access provides attackers with administrative privileges that enable them to modify system configurations, create new user accounts, install malicious software, or exfiltrate confidential information. This vulnerability essentially provides attackers with a golden ticket that allows them to operate undetected within the system environment for extended periods.
Security professionals should implement immediate remediation measures including code review processes to identify and eliminate hardcoded credentials from all source code repositories. Organizations must establish secure coding guidelines that prohibit the inclusion of authentication credentials in source code and instead implement proper credential management systems. The recommended mitigation strategy involves replacing hardcoded credentials with secure configuration management approaches such as environment variables, secure vaults, or centralized credential services. Regular security audits and automated code scanning tools should be deployed to prevent similar issues from reoccurring in future development cycles. Additionally, access controls should be implemented to restrict source code access to authorized personnel only, reducing the attack surface for this particular vulnerability.