CVE-2025-1160 is a high severity default credentials flaw (CVSS 7.3) in SourceCodester Employee Management System version 1.0. The login handled by index.php accepts credentials that ship with the product, so a remote attacker can sign in. The record names no fixed version, so change every default login now.
What's affected
SourceCodester Employee Management System version 1.0 is affected. The record places the issue in the login logic of index.php, where the username and password check ends up accepting default credentials. It is classed as CWE-1392 (Use of Default Credentials).
The CVSS vector is CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L. The attack runs over the network, needs low complexity, and needs no account or user interaction. The record adds that the exploit has been disclosed to the public and may be used.
No fixed version appears in the record. The write-up the record links is a public gist, which this post does not repeat. If you run this product, assume every install that kept its original login is exposed.
How to check if you're exposed
Default credential bugs are checked by policy, not by a scanner signature. Ask three questions about each deployment of Employee Management System.
- Has the administrator password ever been changed from the one the product shipped with or the one in its documentation?
- Are there other accounts, such as test or demo users, that were created during setup and never removed?
- Is the login page reachable from the internet or from networks that include contractors and guests?
Search your web server access logs for successful logins to index.php from addresses you do not recognise, and compare account creation and last login times in the application database with what you expect. If your application stores users in a table, list the accounts and confirm each one belongs to a real person.
A dynamic scan of the login page can also flag weak or default logins without you needing to guess them by hand. The free browser scan at gold.safeguard.sh/scan covers dependencies, so use it for the supporting libraries while you review the login itself.
What to do now
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Change the password of every account on the application, starting with administrators, and make each one unique.
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Delete or disable demo, test and unused accounts.
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Restrict the login page to a VPN or an allowlist if the audience is internal staff.
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Add rate limiting or lockout on repeated failed logins at the application or the web server.
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Review the user table and recent access logs for accounts or sign ins you cannot explain.
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If the data is sensitive, plan to replace the product with one that forces a password change on first use, and check the vendor site for a release that addresses this CVE.
Why it matters
The weakness is CWE-1392 (Use of Default Credentials). The code is not memory unsafe or injectable. It is a design choice that leaves a known login in place, and anyone who reads the product documentation or the public write-up knows what to try.
Default credentials are among the cheapest ways into an application because they need no exploit skill. They also tend to survive for years, since nobody is prompted to change them. A product that ships a fixed login without forcing a change at install makes this a property of the software, not just of one careless admin.
The record does not flag the CVE as exploited in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. It does say the exploit is public. Treat a login you never changed as a login the whole internet may already know.
To see whether a vulnerable package is hiding in your own projects, run the free in-browser dependency scan at gold.safeguard.sh/scan. The Gold directory lists the same advisories alongside affected versions, and reachability analysis helps you rank which findings are actually called by your code.
Quick check
Is this the same as a weak password?
Close, but not identical. A weak password is a user choice. A default credential is shipped by the vendor, so every install starts with the same known value until someone changes it.
Can I fix this without a vendor patch?
Yes for most deployments. Changing every default login and limiting who can reach the page removes the core risk, even if the product itself stays as it is.
Sources
Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.
