A new security vulnerability, CVE-2025-2645, has been discovered in the PHPGurukul Art Gallery Management System 1.. This post aims to explain the vulnerability in simple terms, provide code snippets showing how the problem occurs, and supply details about exploiting and fixing the issue. We'll also include original references for further reading.

What Is the Vulnerability?

The problem resides in the /product.php script of the PHPGurukul Art Gallery Management System. The script does not properly sanitize user input in the artname parameter. As a result, a malicious user can inject JavaScript into the page, leading to a type of attack called Cross Site Scripting (XSS).

What Is Cross Site Scripting?

Cross Site Scripting happens when an attacker injects malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. When the browser renders the page, it runs the attacker's script, which could steal cookies, session tokens, or even redirect the user to malicious websites.

Here's a simplified example of what the vulnerable code in /product.php might look like

<?php
// product.php

$artname = $_GET['artname'];
// ... Other code ...
echo "<h1>$artname</h1>";
?>

In this scenario, whatever value is passed via the artname parameter gets echoed back to the page without any checks or encoding. This allows an attacker to insert HTML or JavaScript code.

How Can It Be Exploited?

By crafting a special URL, an attacker can make the web application display and execute their script. For example, a user could visit this link or persuade someone else to click it:

http://example.com/product.php?artname=<script>alert('XSS')</script>;

When this URL is loaded, the browser would alert a popup box with “XSS”, confirming the vulnerability.

Example Exploit Request

GET /product.php?artname=<script>alert('Hacked!')</script> HTTP/1.1
Host: victim-website.com

Example Effect on Web Page

<h1><script>alert('Hacked!')</script></h1>

When loaded, this will pop up an alert saying "Hacked!", but real attackers can use more dangerous scripts.

Original References

* PHPGurukul Art Gallery Management System
* Official CVE Entry (when published)
* OWASP XSS Explanation

How To Fix

Developers must always sanitize user inputs before displaying them on web pages. The solution is to encode special HTML entities so browsers interpret them as text, not code.

Secure Code Example (PHP)

<?php
// Secure version of product.php

$artname = htmlspecialchars($_GET['artname'], ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8');
// ... Other code ...
echo "<h1>$artname</h1>";
?>

The htmlspecialchars() function prevents HTML and JavaScript injection by converting special characters to safe HTML codes.

What Should You Do?

If you use Art Gallery Management System 1., update product.php immediately! Sanitize all user inputs before displaying them on your pages.

Responsible Disclosure

This vulnerability is public, and known exploits exist. Attackers can exploit it remotely without authentication. If you manage a public or internal site using this system, act now.

Conclusion

CVE-2025-2645 serves as an important reminder to never trust user input—always sanitize it before using it in your web pages. Cross site scripting is serious but easy to prevent. Secure your site, and inform others who use PHPGurukul products.

Stay safe, patch early!

If you want further help or a code review, feel free to reach out or check the original PHPGurukul Art Gallery Management System project page.


*(This exclusive article is intended for educational and remediation purposes. Please use responsibly.)*

Timeline

Published on: 03/23/2025 09:15:16 UTC
Last modified on: 03/24/2025 13:15:27 UTC