CVE-2026-24034VulnerabilityPublished 22 Jan 2026

CVE-2026-24034: horilla · Unrestricted File Upload

Affects horillaSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.4 Medium : upgrade to 1.5.0 when convenient.

Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.4Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 15% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 1.5.0

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: Low
Integrity: Low
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide basic user capabilities that could normally affect only settings and files owned by a user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges may have the ability to cause an impact only to non-sensitive resources.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the impacted component.
Integrity: Low: Modification of data is possible, but the attacker does not have control over the consequence of a modification, or the amount of modification is limited. The data modification does not have a direct, serious impact on the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 22 Jan 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-25.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade horilla and horilla-opensource/horilla to 1.5.0.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
horilla-opensourcehorilla	Affected <1.5.0	Fixed in 1.5.0
GitHubhorilla-opensource/horilla`pkg:github/horilla-opensource/horilla`Other threats	Affected <1.5.0	Fixed in 1.5.0

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

The primary mitigation is to upgrade horilla to version 1.5.0 or later, where the vulnerability is fixed. Organizations unable to upgrade immediately should implement strict server-side validation of uploaded files, including: verifying file extensions against an allowlist of safe image formats (e.g., .jpg, .png), validating MIME types to ensure they match expected image content, and scanning uploaded files for embedded scripts or malicious payloads. Additionally, applying Content Security Policy (CSP) headers can reduce the impact of XSS by restricting script execution sources. Limiting file upload permissions to authenticated and authorized users reduces exposure. Monitoring logs for unusual file upload activity and conducting regular security assessments of the HRMS environment are recommended. Finally, educating users about phishing and social engineering risks related to XSS can help mitigate downstream attack vectors.

Description

CVE-2026-24034 is a medium severity vulnerability affecting horilla versions prior to 1.5.0, an open-source Human Resource Management System. The flaw arises from unrestricted file upload during profile photo updates, where neither file extension nor content-type is validated. This allows attackers to upload malicious files that can trigger cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks, potentially compromising user confidentiality and integrity. Exploitation requires low privileges but no user interaction, and the vulnerability does not impact availability. The issue is fixed in version 1.5.0. European organizations using horilla versions below 1.

Impact

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a moderate risk primarily to confidentiality and integrity of HR data. Successful exploitation could lead to session hijacking, unauthorized data manipulation, or phishing attacks within the HRMS platform, potentially exposing sensitive employee information. Given that HRMS systems often contain personal identifiable information (PII), payroll data, and organizational structure details, a breach could have regulatory implications under GDPR and damage organizational trust. The vulnerability requires some level of privilege, which may limit exposure to internal threat actors or compromised accounts. However, the lack of user interaction requirement means automated exploitation is feasible once access is obtained. Availability is not impacted, so operational disruption is unlikely. Organizations relying on horilla for HR management should consider this vulnerability a significant risk vector, especially in sectors with strict data protection requirements such as finance, healthcare, and government institutions.

CWE-434Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessLikelihood of exploit: MediumCWE Top 25 (2025): #12OWASP Top 10 A06:2025: Insecure Design (opens in a new tab)
The product allows the upload or transfer of dangerous file types that are automatically processed within its environment.
Architecture and Design
Generate a new, unique filename for an uploaded file instead of using the user-supplied filename, so that no external input is used at all.
Architecture and Design · Enforcement by Conversion
When the set of acceptable objects, such as filenames or URLs, is limited or known, create a mapping from a set of fixed input values (such as numeric IDs) to the actual filenames or URLs, and reject all other inputs.
Architecture and Design
Consider storing the uploaded files outside of the web document root entirely. Then, use other mechanisms to deliver the files dynamically.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Server Side Request Forgery Prevention (opens in a new tab)
Web Service Security (opens in a new tab)
Third Party Javascript Management (opens in a new tab)
File Upload (opens in a new tab)
Secure Design Principles (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V12.5.2 (opens in a new tab)
V13.1.5 (opens in a new tab)
V12.2.1 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Accessing Functionality Not Properly Constrained by ACLs (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 29 Jan 2026, 08:54 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-434

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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