XSS in Horilla
CVE-2025-59524
Horilla is a free and open source Human Resource Management System (HRMS). Prior to version 1.4.0, the file upload flow performs validation only in the browser and does not enforce server-side checks. An attacker can bypass the client-side validation (for example, with an intercepting proxy or by submitting a crafted request) to store an executable HTML document on the server. When an administrator or other privileged user views the uploaded file, the embedded script runs in their context and sends session cookies (or other credentials) to an attacker-controlled endpoint. The attacker then reuses those credentials to impersonate the admin. This issue has been patched in version 1.4.0.
Vulnerability class: XSS (Cross-Site Scripting)
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 6.1 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.003 (27.1th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 27th percentile — 27.1% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.003 · newest: 0.003 · change: 0.000
Affected products
- Horilla
- Horilla-Opensource Horilla — versions < 1.4.0
Weakness classification (CWE)
Public proof-of-concept exploits
References
- github.com/horilla-opensource/horilla/security/advisories/GHSA-mff9-p8j9-9v5q (Exploit, Vendor Advisory)
- github.com/Mmo-kali/CVE/blob/main/CVE-2025-59524/2025-08-Horilla_Vulnerability_… (Exploit, Third Party Advisory)
- github.com/horilla-opensource/horilla/releases/tag/1.4.0 (Release Notes)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2025-59524?
- CVE-2025-59524 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Horilla, classified under Cross-site Scripting. CVSS score: 6.1/10. Published 2025-09-24.
- How severe is CVE-2025-59524?
- Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 6.1 out of 10.
- Is CVE-2025-59524 known to be exploited?
- 1 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.