CVE-2024-2530: Online College Event Hall Reservation XSS

CVE-2024-2530 Overview

CVE-2024-2530 is a reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability [CWE-79] in MAGESH-K21 Online-College-Event-Hall-Reservation-System version 1.0. The flaw resides in the /admin/update-rooms.php script, where the id parameter is reflected into the response without proper sanitization. Attackers can craft a malicious URL that, when opened by an authenticated administrator, executes arbitrary JavaScript in the browser context. The exploit has been publicly disclosed, increasing the likelihood of opportunistic abuse. The vendor was contacted before public disclosure but did not respond.

Critical Impact
Successful exploitation allows attackers to hijack administrator sessions, steal credentials, or perform actions on behalf of the victim within the reservation system.

Affected Products

MAGESH-K21 Online-College-Event-Hall-Reservation-System 1.0
Component: /admin/update-rooms.php
Vulnerable parameter: id

Discovery Timeline

2024-03-16 - CVE-2024-2530 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-2530

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a reflected XSS issue in the administrative interface of the reservation system. The update-rooms.php endpoint accepts an id query parameter and includes its value in the rendered HTML response without contextual output encoding. An attacker who can convince an administrator to click a crafted link can execute arbitrary JavaScript in the administrator's authenticated session. Because the attack requires user interaction, the entry point is typically a phishing message or a link embedded on an attacker-controlled page. The public disclosure of a proof-of-concept lowers the barrier to weaponization.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing input validation and output encoding on the id GET parameter processed by /admin/update-rooms.php. The application reflects untrusted input directly into the HTML document, allowing script tags or event handlers to be interpreted by the browser. No context-aware escaping or Content Security Policy (CSP) is enforced to mitigate the exposure.

Attack Vector

The attack is delivered over the network and requires user interaction. An attacker crafts a URL such as /admin/update-rooms.php?id=<payload> embedding JavaScript payloads. When an authenticated administrator visits the link, the injected script runs with the privileges of that administrator's session, enabling cookie theft, form manipulation, or unauthorized backend requests through cross-site request forgery. Refer to the public proof-of-concept for the exact payload structure.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-2530

Indicators of Compromise

Web server access logs containing requests to /admin/update-rooms.php with id parameter values that include <script>, onerror=, javascript:, or URL-encoded equivalents such as %3Cscript%3E.
Administrator sessions performing anomalous actions immediately after clicking an external referrer link.
Outbound requests from administrator browsers to unknown domains shortly after loading admin pages.

Detection Strategies

Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) rule that inspects the id parameter of /admin/update-rooms.php for HTML and JavaScript metacharacters.
Correlate HTTP referer headers with admin actions to identify off-site initiated requests indicative of phishing-driven XSS.
Review historical access logs for reflected payload signatures matching the published PoC.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable verbose HTTP request logging on the administrative endpoints and forward logs to a centralized analytics platform.
Alert on any 200-response requests to /admin/* containing angle brackets or JavaScript keywords in query strings.
Monitor administrator account activity for unusual privilege changes or record modifications following link clicks.

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-2530

Immediate Actions Required

Restrict access to the /admin/ directory by IP allowlist or VPN until a patch is applied.
Instruct administrators to avoid clicking untrusted links referencing the application.
Deploy a WAF rule that blocks requests to /admin/update-rooms.php containing script metacharacters in the id parameter.

Patch Information

No vendor patch is available. The vendor was contacted prior to disclosure but did not respond, according to the VulDB entry. Organizations relying on this software should consider migrating to an actively maintained alternative or applying compensating controls until an official fix is released.

Workarounds

Add server-side input validation to reject non-numeric values for the id parameter in update-rooms.php.
Apply context-aware HTML output encoding on any reflected user input using functions such as htmlspecialchars($input, ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8').
Enforce a strict Content Security Policy (CSP) header that disallows inline scripts and restricts script sources to trusted origins.
Set the HttpOnly and Secure flags on session cookies to limit token theft via injected JavaScript.

bash

# Example Apache configuration to enforce CSP and secure cookies
Header always set Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'; object-src 'none'; base-uri 'self'"
Header always edit Set-Cookie ^(.*)$ $1;HttpOnly;Secure;SameSite=Strict