# CVE-2025-48867: Horilla Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) Vulnerability in Project and Task Modules

> Authenticated admins can inject malicious scripts into project fields, leading to session hijacking of other privileged users.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 24 Sep 2025
- **Updated:** 24 Sep 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-w242-xv47-j55r

## What is CVE-2025-48867?

CVE-2025-48867 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in horilla-opensource horilla, published on 24 Sep 2025. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Horilla is a free and open source Human Resource Management System (HRMS). A stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Horilla HRM 1.3.0 allows authenticated admin or privileged users to inject malicious JavaScript payloads into multiple fields in the Project and Task modules. These payloads persist in the database and are executed when viewed by an admin or other privileged users through the web interface. Although the issue is not exploitable by unauthenticated users, it still poses a high risk of session hijacking and unauthorized action within high-privilege accounts. At time of publication there is no known patch.

Weakness: CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-48867?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Horilla Horilla.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-48867?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-48867 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-48867 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2025-48867 exists.

## Other vulnerabilities in horilla-opensource horilla

- [CVE-2025-59832](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-59832/): Horrila Stored XSS Vulnerability via Ticket Comment section (critical 9.9)
- [CVE-2026-24010](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-24010/): Horilla has HTML Injection Issue that, with Phishing, Leads to Account Takeover (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2026-24038](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-24038/): Horilla HR has 2FA Bypass through its OTP Handling Logic (high 8.1)
- [CVE-2025-59524](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-59524/): Horilla Stored XSS Vulnerability via File Upload in Reimbursement Panel (high 7.7)
- [CVE-2025-59525](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-59525/): Horilla has Improper Input Sanitization Leading to XSS and Admin Account Takeover (high 7.7)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-48867 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-48867 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in horilla-opensource horilla, published on 24 Sep 2025. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2025-48867 exists.

Affected product: horilla-opensource horilla. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-48867/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-48867/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-48867
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-48867
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-48867

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-48867/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.