Overview
CVE-2025-13577 describes a Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability found in PHPGurukul Hostel Management System version 2.1. This low-severity flaw allows a remote attacker to inject arbitrary web scripts into the application, potentially leading to data theft, session hijacking, or defacement.
Technical Details
The vulnerability exists within the /register-complaint.php file. Specifically, the cdetails argument is susceptible to manipulation. An attacker can inject malicious JavaScript code into this argument, which will then be executed in the context of other users’ browsers when they view the complaint details. This is a persistent XSS vulnerability, as the injected script is stored within the system.
CVSS Analysis
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) assigns CVE-2025-13577 a score of 3.5. This indicates a LOW severity vulnerability. The CVSS vector likely includes:
- AV:N (Attack Vector: Network) – The vulnerability is exploitable over the network.
- AC:L (Attack Complexity: Low) – The vulnerability is relatively easy to exploit.
- Au:S (Authentication: Single) – An attacker needs to be authenticated to exploit the vulnerability.
- C:N (Confidentiality: None) – There is no impact to confidentiality.
- I:P (Integrity: Partial) – There is some impact to integrity.
- A:N (Availability: None) – There is no impact to availability.
Possible Impact
While the CVSS score is low, the potential impact should not be ignored. Successful exploitation of this XSS vulnerability could allow an attacker to:
- Steal user session cookies, potentially gaining unauthorized access to accounts.
- Deface the Hostel Management System, displaying misleading or malicious content.
- Redirect users to phishing websites.
- Potentially gather sensitive information entered by users.
Mitigation or Patch Steps
To mitigate this vulnerability, the following steps should be taken:
- Update PHPGurukul Hostel Management System: Check for and install the latest version of the system. The vendor (PHPGurukul) should release a patched version that addresses this XSS vulnerability.
- Input Validation: Implement robust input validation and sanitization on the
cdetailsargument in the/register-complaint.phpfile. All user-supplied input should be validated and properly encoded before being stored in the database or displayed to users. - Output Encoding: Ensure proper output encoding is used when displaying complaint details. Use functions like
htmlspecialchars()in PHP to prevent the execution of malicious scripts. - Web Application Firewall (WAF): Consider implementing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to detect and block XSS attacks.
