CVE-2025-57150 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting the phpgurukul Complaint Management System in PHP version 2.0. The vulnerability is a Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) flaw located in the admin/subcategory.php script, specifically via the categoryName parameter. XSS vulnerabilities occur when an application includes untrusted data in a web page without proper validation or escaping, allowing attackers to inject malicious scripts that execute in the context of the victim's browser. In this case, the categoryName parameter is not properly sanitized, enabling an attacker with administrative privileges to inject arbitrary JavaScript code. The CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.2 reflects a high severity, with the vector indicating that the attack can be launched remotely over the network (AV:N), requires low attack complexity (AC:L), but requires privileges (PR:H) and no user interaction (UI:N). The impact affects confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H), meaning the attacker can potentially steal sensitive data, manipulate content, or disrupt system operations. Although no known exploits are currently reported in the wild, the vulnerability poses a significant risk due to the high privileges required and the sensitive nature of administrative interfaces. The lack of available patches or fixes at the time of publication increases the urgency for mitigation. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-79, which is the standard identifier for XSS issues. Since the affected system is a complaint management platform, exploitation could lead to unauthorized data disclosure, manipulation of complaint records, or disruption of complaint processing workflows.

For European organizations using the phpgurukul Complaint Management System, this vulnerability could have serious consequences. Administrative interfaces typically have access to sensitive user data and system controls, so exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to personal data, violating GDPR and other privacy regulations. The ability to execute arbitrary scripts could allow attackers to hijack admin sessions, alter complaint data, or inject malicious content that affects other users or systems. This could damage organizational reputation, lead to regulatory fines, and disrupt critical complaint handling processes. Given the high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact, organizations may face operational downtime, data breaches, and loss of trust from customers and partners. The requirement for administrative privileges limits the attack surface but does not eliminate risk, especially if credential compromise or insider threats exist. The absence of patches means organizations must rely on compensating controls to mitigate risk until a fix is available.

1. Immediate mitigation should include restricting access to the admin interface via network-level controls such as VPNs, IP whitelisting, or firewall rules to limit exposure to trusted administrators only. 2. Implement strict input validation and output encoding on the categoryName parameter to neutralize malicious scripts; this can be done by applying context-aware escaping functions or using security libraries that sanitize inputs. 3. Employ Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to reduce the impact of potential XSS by restricting the execution of unauthorized scripts. 4. Monitor administrative logs for unusual activity that could indicate exploitation attempts. 5. Enforce strong authentication mechanisms, including multi-factor authentication (MFA), to reduce the risk of credential compromise. 6. Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing focused on administrative interfaces. 7. Stay alert for official patches or updates from the vendor and apply them promptly once available. 8. Educate administrators about phishing and social engineering risks that could lead to privilege escalation. These measures go beyond generic advice by focusing on layered defenses tailored to the administrative context and the specific vulnerable parameter.