CVE-2025-12332 identifies a cross-site scripting vulnerability in the SourceCodester Student Grades Management System version 1.0. The vulnerability resides in the delete_user function of the /admin.php file, where insufficient input sanitization allows malicious input to be reflected back in the web interface. This flaw enables an attacker to inject arbitrary JavaScript code that executes in the context of an authenticated administrator’s browser session. The attack vector is remote, but requires the attacker to have high privileges (likely an administrative or similarly privileged user) and some user interaction to trigger the malicious script. The CVSS 4.0 score of 4.8 reflects a medium severity, considering the ease of exploitation (low complexity), the need for authentication, and the limited impact on confidentiality and availability but potential impact on integrity and user session security. While no active exploits have been observed in the wild, the existence of published proof-of-concept code raises the likelihood of exploitation attempts. The vulnerability could be leveraged to steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of the administrator, or conduct phishing attacks within the trusted environment of the grades management system. Given the nature of the product—used primarily by educational institutions to manage sensitive student data—this vulnerability poses a risk to data integrity and privacy. The absence of official patches at the time of publication necessitates immediate mitigation steps by administrators.

For European organizations, particularly educational institutions using the SourceCodester Student Grades Management System, this vulnerability could lead to unauthorized actions performed under administrator privileges, compromising the integrity of student records and potentially exposing sensitive personal data. Attackers exploiting this XSS flaw could hijack administrator sessions, inject malicious content, or manipulate grade data, undermining trust in the system. The impact extends beyond data integrity to reputational damage and potential regulatory non-compliance under GDPR if personal data is exposed or altered. Since the vulnerability requires high privileges and user interaction, the risk is somewhat contained but remains significant in environments where administrative credentials are shared or weakly protected. The medium severity rating suggests that while the vulnerability is not critical, it still demands prompt attention to prevent escalation or lateral movement within the network. The educational sector in Europe is increasingly targeted by cyber threats, making timely mitigation essential to protect student data and institutional operations.

1. Apply official patches or updates from SourceCodester as soon as they become available to address the vulnerability directly. 2. Until patches are released, implement strict input validation and output encoding on all parameters handled by the delete_user function to prevent injection of malicious scripts. 3. Restrict administrative access to the grades management system using network segmentation, VPNs, or IP whitelisting to reduce exposure to remote attackers. 4. Enforce strong authentication mechanisms for administrative accounts, including multi-factor authentication (MFA), to limit the risk of compromised credentials. 5. Conduct regular security awareness training for administrators to recognize and avoid phishing or social engineering attempts that could trigger the XSS attack. 6. Monitor web server and application logs for unusual activity or repeated attempts to exploit the delete_user function. 7. Employ Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to reduce the impact of potential XSS attacks by restricting the execution of unauthorized scripts. 8. Review and harden session management practices to prevent session fixation or hijacking in case of successful XSS exploitation.