CVE-2024-46335 identifies a Cross Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the PHPGurukul Complaint Management System version 2.0. The vulnerability resides in the fromdate and todate parameters within the between-date-userreport.php script, where user-supplied input is not properly sanitized or encoded before being reflected back in the web page. This allows an authenticated attacker with at least limited privileges to inject malicious JavaScript code that executes in the context of other users’ browsers. The CVSS v3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N) indicates that the attack can be performed remotely over the network with low attack complexity, requires privileges (authenticated user), and user interaction (clicking a crafted link or submitting a form). The impact affects confidentiality and integrity to a limited extent, as the attacker could steal session tokens, manipulate displayed data, or perform actions on behalf of the victim user. There is no impact on availability. No patches or known exploits are currently available, but the vulnerability is publicly disclosed and should be addressed promptly. The underlying weakness corresponds to CWE-79, which is a common web application security flaw related to improper neutralization of input during output encoding.

For European organizations using PHPGurukul Complaint Management System 2.0, this vulnerability could lead to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information such as session cookies or user data, potentially enabling account takeover or data manipulation. Although the impact is limited to confidentiality and integrity, exploitation could undermine trust in complaint handling processes and expose personal or organizational information. Since the vulnerability requires authentication and user interaction, the risk is somewhat mitigated but still significant in environments with many users or where phishing/social engineering could be used to trigger the exploit. The absence of availability impact means service disruption is unlikely. However, regulatory frameworks like GDPR emphasize protecting personal data, so even limited data exposure could have compliance implications. Organizations relying on this system should assess their exposure and prioritize remediation to avoid reputational damage and potential legal consequences.

1. Implement strict input validation and sanitization on the fromdate and todate parameters to ensure only valid date formats are accepted, rejecting or encoding any unexpected characters. 2. Apply proper output encoding (e.g., HTML entity encoding) before reflecting user input in the web page to prevent script execution. 3. Restrict access to the complaint management system and sensitive reports to trusted and authenticated users only, minimizing the attack surface. 4. Employ Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to limit the execution of unauthorized scripts in browsers. 5. Conduct regular security code reviews and penetration testing focusing on input handling and XSS vulnerabilities. 6. Monitor logs and user activity for suspicious behavior indicative of exploitation attempts. 7. If possible, upgrade to a patched version once available or apply vendor-provided fixes promptly. 8. Educate users about phishing and social engineering risks that could facilitate exploitation via user interaction.