CVE-2025-21572 is a reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability identified in Oracle Corporation's OpenGrok version 1.13.25. OpenGrok is a source code search and cross-reference engine widely used by development teams to navigate and analyze large codebases. The vulnerability arises specifically in the 'history view' page, where the application improperly handles path segments. Unsanitized user input from these path segments is directly reflected into the HTML output without adequate encoding or validation. This flaw allows an attacker to craft malicious URLs that, when visited by a user, execute arbitrary JavaScript code within the victim's browser context. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-79, which pertains to improper neutralization of input during web page generation. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 6.1, indicating a medium severity level. The vector string (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N) shows that the attack can be launched remotely over the network without privileges, requires low attack complexity, no privileges, but does require user interaction (clicking a crafted link). The scope is changed, meaning the vulnerability affects resources beyond the vulnerable component. The impact affects confidentiality and integrity to a limited extent but does not affect availability. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no official patches have been linked yet. This vulnerability could be leveraged in phishing campaigns or targeted attacks to steal session tokens, perform actions on behalf of users, or conduct further attacks within the context of the affected web application.

For European organizations using OpenGrok 1.13.25, this vulnerability poses a risk primarily to developers and internal users who access the history view page. Successful exploitation could lead to session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized actions performed under the victim's identity, potentially exposing sensitive source code or internal project information. This can undermine the confidentiality and integrity of intellectual property and development workflows. Since OpenGrok is often deployed in enterprise environments for code search and analysis, exploitation could facilitate lateral movement or further compromise if attackers gain access to internal networks. The requirement for user interaction limits mass exploitation but does not eliminate targeted spear-phishing risks. European organizations with strict data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR) must consider the implications of unauthorized data exposure or breach resulting from such attacks. Additionally, the reflected XSS could be used to bypass security controls or deliver secondary payloads, increasing the threat surface.

To mitigate this vulnerability, organizations should first verify if they are running OpenGrok version 1.13.25 and prioritize upgrading to a patched version once available from Oracle. In the absence of an official patch, immediate mitigations include implementing web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block suspicious input patterns targeting the history view page, especially those containing script tags or suspicious characters in path segments. Input validation and output encoding should be enforced at the application level to sanitize user-supplied path segments before rendering. Organizations can also restrict access to the OpenGrok interface to trusted internal networks or VPN users to reduce exposure. Educating users about the risks of clicking unsolicited links and employing browser security features such as Content Security Policy (CSP) can help mitigate the impact of reflected XSS attacks. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify and remediate similar injection flaws proactively.