CVE-2025-6613 is a medium severity cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability identified in version 4.0 of the PHPGurukul Hospital Management System (HMS). The vulnerability resides in the /doctor/manage-patient.php file, specifically involving the manipulation of the 'Name' parameter. An attacker can remotely exploit this flaw by injecting malicious scripts into the vulnerable input field without requiring authentication, although user interaction is necessary to trigger the payload. The vulnerability allows an attacker to execute arbitrary JavaScript in the context of the victim's browser session. This can lead to session hijacking, defacement, or redirection to malicious sites. The CVSS 4.0 vector indicates network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:L - low privileges required), and user interaction required (UI:P). The impact on confidentiality is none, integrity is low, and availability is none, suggesting the primary risk is related to client-side script execution rather than direct server compromise. Although no known exploits are currently active in the wild, the public disclosure of the exploit code increases the risk of opportunistic attacks. The vulnerability is problematic because hospital management systems handle sensitive patient data and are critical for healthcare operations, making any security flaw potentially impactful if leveraged in a targeted attack.

For European organizations, particularly healthcare providers using PHPGurukul HMS version 4.0, this vulnerability poses a risk of client-side attacks that can compromise user sessions and potentially expose sensitive patient information indirectly. While the vulnerability does not directly affect server confidentiality or availability, successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to patient portals or administrative functions through session hijacking or credential theft. This could undermine patient privacy, violate GDPR regulations, and damage organizational reputation. Additionally, attackers could use the XSS flaw as a foothold for further social engineering or phishing campaigns targeting hospital staff or patients. Given the critical nature of healthcare services, even a medium severity vulnerability can have outsized operational and compliance impacts if exploited. The lack of authentication requirement lowers the barrier for attackers, increasing the likelihood of exploitation in environments where the vulnerable system is exposed to the internet or accessible by many users.

1. Immediate patching: Although no official patch link is provided, organizations should contact PHPGurukul for updates or apply any available security patches promptly. 2. Input validation and sanitization: Implement strict server-side input validation and output encoding on the 'Name' parameter and all user inputs to neutralize malicious scripts. 3. Content Security Policy (CSP): Deploy a robust CSP header to restrict the execution of unauthorized scripts in the browser context. 4. Web Application Firewall (WAF): Configure WAF rules to detect and block typical XSS payloads targeting the vulnerable endpoint. 5. User awareness: Train hospital staff to recognize phishing attempts that may leverage this vulnerability. 6. Access controls: Limit access to the /doctor/manage-patient.php page to trusted users and restrict exposure to the internet where possible. 7. Monitoring and logging: Enable detailed logging of web requests to detect suspicious activity related to the vulnerable parameter. 8. Segmentation: Isolate the hospital management system network segment to reduce lateral movement risks if exploitation occurs.