The vulnerability identified as CVE-2026-1161 affects pbrong hrms version 1.0.1, specifically the UpdateRecruitmentById function in the /handler/recruitment.go source file. This function fails to properly sanitize or encode user-supplied input, leading to a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability. An attacker can remotely send crafted requests to inject malicious JavaScript code, which executes in the context of the victim’s browser when they interact with the affected functionality. The vulnerability does not require prior authentication but does require user interaction to trigger the malicious script. The CVSS 4.0 vector indicates network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:L) but user interaction (UI:P) is necessary, and impacts confidentiality (VI:L) but not integrity or availability. The exploit allows attackers to steal session cookies, perform actions on behalf of the user, or deliver further payloads such as malware. Although no known exploits are currently active in the wild, the public availability of exploit code increases the risk of exploitation. The vulnerability is classified as medium severity due to its moderate impact and ease of exploitation. No official patches or updates have been linked yet, so organizations must rely on mitigations and monitoring until a fix is available.

For European organizations, this XSS vulnerability poses a risk primarily to the confidentiality and integrity of user sessions within the pbrong hrms platform. Attackers could hijack sessions of HR personnel or employees, potentially gaining unauthorized access to sensitive recruitment and personnel data. This could lead to data leakage, unauthorized modifications, or social engineering attacks leveraging stolen session information. While availability is not directly impacted, the reputational damage and regulatory consequences under GDPR for data breaches could be significant. Organizations in sectors with high HR data sensitivity, such as finance, healthcare, and government, face elevated risks. The remote exploitability and public availability of exploit code increase the urgency for mitigation. The vulnerability could also be leveraged as an initial foothold for further network intrusion if combined with other vulnerabilities or misconfigurations.

European organizations using pbrong hrms 1.0.1 should immediately implement the following mitigations: 1) Apply strict input validation and sanitization on all user inputs related to recruitment updates to prevent injection of malicious scripts. 2) Employ context-aware output encoding (e.g., HTML entity encoding) to neutralize any injected scripts before rendering in browsers. 3) Restrict access to the HRMS application to trusted networks and users via network segmentation and VPNs to reduce exposure. 4) Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to limit the execution of unauthorized scripts in browsers. 5) Monitor logs and user activity for unusual patterns indicative of exploitation attempts. 6) Educate HR users about phishing and suspicious links to reduce the risk of triggering XSS payloads. 7) Engage with the vendor for official patches or updates and apply them promptly once available. 8) Consider deploying web application firewalls (WAF) with rules to detect and block XSS attack patterns targeting the vulnerable endpoint.