dbcve.org
Improper Access ControlWeakness · CWE-284

CVE-2026-5181

MEDIUM · 6.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-03-31
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
69/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
A vulnerability has been found in SourceCodester Simple Doctors Appointment System up to 1.0. This issue affects some unknown processing of the file /doctors_appointment/admin/ajax.php?action=save_category. Such manipulation of the argument img leads to unrestricted upload. The attack may be performed from remote. The exploit has been disclosed to the public and may be used.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The SourceCodester Simple Doctors Appointment System allows unrestricted file upload through the /doctors_appointment/admin/ajax.php?action=save_category endpoint. The 'img' parameter accepts files without proper validation, enabling an attacker to upload malicious files (e.g., web shells) to achieve remote code execution.

MitigationImplement strict server-side file validation: restrict allowed file extensions and MIME types, validate file content (magic bytes), rename uploaded files with random identifiers, store uploads outside the webroot, and disable script execution in the upload directory.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
Low

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Locate the doctors_appointment application directory
    Search the web server document root for a 'doctors_appointment' directory. Common paths include /var/www/html/doctors_appointment, C:\xampp\htdocs\doctors_appointment, or similar. Use: find /var/www -type d -name 'doctors_appointment' 2>/dev/null
    Affected if The doctors_appointment directory exists on the server
  2. Verify the ajax.php upload endpoint exists
    Check for the presence of /doctors_appointment/admin/ajax.php file. Examine the file permissions and confirm it is readable via the web server. Use: ls -la /path/to/doctors_appointment/admin/ajax.php
    Affected if The ajax.php file exists in the admin directory and is web-accessible
  3. Identify the installed version
    Check for version information in the application. Look for a version.php, README, or similar files in the doctors_appointment root directory. Also check any config files for version metadata. Use: cat /path/to/doctors_appointment/version.php 2>/dev/null || cat /path/to/doctors_appointment/README* 2>/dev/null
    Affected if The installed version cannot be determined or falls within an unpatched release of the Simple Doctors Appointment System
  4. Confirm the save_category action handles file uploads
    Open the ajax.php file and locate the 'save_category' case/block. Verify if it processes an 'img' parameter and handles file uploads without validation. Use: grep -n 'save_category' /path/to/doctors_appointment/admin/ajax.php
    Affected if The code processes an 'img' parameter in the save_category action without validating file type, extension, or content
  5. Check upload directory configuration
    Examine the ajax.php and related code to determine where uploaded files are stored. Verify if the upload directory is within the webroot and if .htaccess or similar controls restrict script execution. Use: grep -r 'move_uploaded_file\|upload_dir' /path/to/doctors_appointment/admin/ajax.php
    Affected if Uploaded files are stored within the webroot without script execution restrictions

A user is affected if the doctors_appointment application is installed, the admin/ajax.php endpoint with save_category action exists, and the 'img' parameter accepts file uploads without server-side validation.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Implement strict server-side file validation: restrict allowed file extensions and MIME types, validate file content (magic bytes), rename uploaded files with random identifiers, store uploads outside the webroot, and disable script execution in the upload directory.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-5181 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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