CVE-2025-57151 in Complaint Management System
Summary
by MITRE • 09/03/2025
phpgurukul Complaint Management System 2.0 is vulnerable to Cross Site Scripting (XSS) in admin/userprofile.php via the fullname parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/03/2025
The phpgurukul Complaint Management System version 2.0 presents a critical cross site scripting vulnerability that compromises the security of both administrative and user accounts. This vulnerability exists within the admin/userprofile.php script where the fullname parameter is improperly handled, allowing malicious actors to inject arbitrary javascript code into the application's response. The flaw represents a classic input validation failure that enables attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of authenticated users' browsers, potentially leading to complete account compromise and unauthorized access to sensitive system functionalities.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate sanitization of user-supplied input within the fullname parameter. When administrators or users submit profile information containing malicious javascript payloads, the application fails to properly encode or validate the input before rendering it back to the user interface. This creates an environment where attacker-controlled code can execute within the victim's browser context, leveraging the existing session and privileges of the authenticated user. The vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross Site Scripting, specifically representing a stored XSS attack vector since the malicious input is persisted in the application's database and executed during subsequent page loads.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or defacement. An attacker exploiting this flaw can hijack user sessions, escalate privileges within the system, and potentially gain access to sensitive complaint data, user personal information, and administrative controls. The vulnerability affects both administrative and regular user accounts, creating a significant risk to the overall security posture of the complaint management system. Attackers can leverage this weakness to perform actions such as modifying user permissions, accessing confidential complaint records, or even executing commands on the underlying server if additional vulnerabilities exist within the application architecture.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application. The system must sanitize all user-supplied data before processing or storing it, particularly parameters that are rendered back to users in the interface. Implementing proper content security policies, utilizing secure coding practices for parameter handling, and conducting regular security testing including dynamic application security testing can significantly reduce the risk of exploitation. Additionally, the application should enforce strict input length limitations, character set validation, and implement proper escape sequences for all output rendering to prevent malicious code execution. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of regular security audits and adherence to secure coding standards such as those outlined in the OWASP Top Ten project and NIST cybersecurity guidelines. Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of this vulnerability and implement monitoring mechanisms to detect potential exploitation attempts.
This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation in web applications and aligns with several ATT&CK techniques including T1566 for social engineering and T1059 for command and scripting interpreters. The attack surface created by this flaw can enable further exploitation through techniques such as credential theft, privilege escalation, and lateral movement within the compromised system. Security teams should also consider implementing web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious payloads targeting this specific vulnerability pattern. Regular security training for developers and implementation of secure coding practices throughout the software development lifecycle will help prevent similar issues in future versions of the application.