CVE-2025-47789 is a medium-severity vulnerability classified as CWE-601 (URL Redirection to Untrusted Site, commonly known as an Open Redirect) affecting the Horilla Human Resource Management System (HRMS) versions up to and including 1.3. Horilla is an open-source HRMS platform used to manage employee information and HR processes. The vulnerability allows an attacker to craft a specially constructed URL that, when clicked by a user and followed by a login, redirects the user to an arbitrary external domain. This redirection occurs because the application does not properly validate or restrict the destination URL after authentication, enabling attackers to redirect users to malicious or phishing sites. Such redirection can be exploited to impersonate the legitimate Horilla interface, potentially tricking users into divulging credentials or other sensitive information. The vulnerability requires user interaction (clicking the malicious link and logging in) but does not require any prior authentication or elevated privileges. The CVSS v3.1 score is 6.1, reflecting a medium severity with network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges required, user interaction required, and partial impact on confidentiality and integrity but no impact on availability. The issue was fixed in a commit identified as 1c72404df6888bb23af73c767fdaee5e6679ebd6, though no official patch links are provided in the data. There are no known exploits in the wild at the time of publication.

For European organizations using Horilla HRMS, this vulnerability poses a risk primarily related to phishing and social engineering attacks. Attackers can leverage the open redirect to craft URLs that appear legitimate but lead users to malicious sites designed to steal credentials or deploy malware. This can compromise user accounts and potentially lead to unauthorized access to HR data, which often contains sensitive personal and employment information protected under GDPR. The integrity of user sessions and trust in the HRMS platform can be undermined, potentially causing reputational damage and regulatory scrutiny. While the vulnerability does not directly allow remote code execution or system compromise, the indirect consequences of credential theft or session hijacking can be significant. The requirement for user interaction limits automated exploitation but does not eliminate risk, especially in environments where users may be targeted via phishing campaigns. Given the critical nature of HR data and the regulatory environment in Europe, exploitation could lead to data breaches with legal and financial repercussions.

European organizations should immediately upgrade Horilla to a version later than 1.3 where the vulnerability is fixed. If upgrading is not immediately possible, implement strict URL validation and filtering at the web application firewall (WAF) or reverse proxy level to block or sanitize any redirect parameters that point to external domains. Educate users about the risks of clicking on suspicious links, especially those purporting to be from internal HR systems. Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) to reduce the impact of credential theft. Monitor logs for unusual redirect patterns or login attempts following redirects. Additionally, security teams should conduct phishing simulations to raise awareness and test user response. Organizations should also review and tighten session management to detect and prevent session hijacking attempts that could follow from successful phishing.