CVE-2024-2535: Online Event Hall Reservation System XSS Flaw

CVE-2024-2535 Overview

CVE-2024-2535 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/users.php script, where the id parameter is reflected without sanitization. Remote attackers can craft malicious URLs that execute arbitrary JavaScript in the browser of any authenticated administrator who clicks the link. The exploit was publicly disclosed and assigned identifier VDB-256972. The vendor was contacted before disclosure but did not respond.

Critical Impact
Successful exploitation allows attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript in an administrator's browser session, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, and unauthorized administrative actions within the reservation system.

Affected Products

MAGESH-K21 Online-College-Event-Hall-Reservation-System 1.0
Component: /admin/users.php
CPE: cpe:2.3:a:magesh-k21:online-college-event-hall-reservation-system:1.0

Discovery Timeline

2024-03-17 - CVE-2024-2535 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-2535

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a reflected cross-site scripting flaw in the administrative users management page of the reservation system. The /admin/users.php script accepts an id HTTP parameter and reflects the supplied value back into the rendered HTML response without applying output encoding or input validation. Any attacker-controlled JavaScript embedded in the parameter executes in the context of the administrator's browser session.

Because the vulnerability requires user interaction, exploitation typically relies on social engineering. An attacker delivers a crafted URL through email, chat, or a malicious webpage. When an authenticated administrator visits the link, the injected payload runs with the privileges of the current session.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing input sanitization and output encoding on the id request parameter in /admin/users.php. The application concatenates user-supplied data directly into the HTML response, allowing arbitrary script tags or event handlers to be rendered as active markup. This is a textbook instance of CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation.

Attack Vector

The attack is network-based and requires user interaction. An unauthenticated attacker constructs a URL that targets /admin/users.php with a malicious value in the id parameter. The attacker then lures an authenticated administrator into visiting the link. Once loaded, the payload executes in the browser and can read cookies, submit requests, or exfiltrate data. Technical proof-of-concept details are documented in the GitHub Reflected XSS Exploit and the VulDB CVE Analysis #256972.

No verified code examples are available. Refer to the linked advisories for reproduction details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-2535

Indicators of Compromise

Web server access logs showing requests to /admin/users.php with id parameter values containing HTML tags such as <script>, onerror=, or onload=.
URL-encoded payloads targeting the id parameter, including sequences like %3Cscript%3E or %22%3E%3Csvg.
Referer headers on admin sessions originating from untrusted external domains or email clients.

Detection Strategies

Deploy web application firewall (WAF) rules that inspect query string parameters for reflected XSS payload signatures.
Correlate administrator authentication events with subsequent unusual outbound requests, which may indicate cookie or token exfiltration.
Perform static analysis of the PHP source to identify unescaped $_GET['id'] usage in output contexts within /admin/users.php.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable verbose HTTP logging on the reservation system and forward logs to a centralized analytics platform for query-parameter inspection.
Alert on any HTTP 200 response to /admin/users.php that contains script-related characters reflected in the response body.
Monitor administrator accounts for anomalous session activity, including unexpected user creation or privilege modifications.

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-2535

Immediate Actions Required

Restrict access to /admin/users.php using IP allowlists or VPN-only access until a fix is applied.
Instruct administrators not to click on unsolicited links referencing the reservation system.
Rotate administrator session cookies and credentials if suspicious activity is observed in logs.

Patch Information

No vendor patch is available. The vendor did not respond to disclosure attempts, per the VulDB advisory. Organizations running MAGESH-K21 Online-College-Event-Hall-Reservation-System 1.0 must apply compensating controls or discontinue use of the application in production environments. Track updates via the VulDB #256972 entry.

Workarounds

Modify /admin/users.php locally to sanitize the id parameter using htmlspecialchars($_GET['id'], ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8') before rendering.
Deploy a WAF rule blocking requests where the id parameter contains angle brackets, quotes, or common XSS keywords.
Add a strict Content Security Policy (CSP) response header disallowing inline scripts on administrative pages.
Enable the HttpOnly and Secure flags on session cookies to reduce impact of script-based token theft.

bash

# Example Apache WAF rule (ModSecurity) blocking XSS payloads in the id parameter
SecRule ARGS:id "@rx (?i)(<script|onerror=|onload=|javascript:|<svg)" \
    "id:1002535,phase:2,deny,status:403,\
     msg:'CVE-2024-2535: Reflected XSS attempt in users.php id parameter'"

# Example CSP header to add in Apache configuration
Header always set Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'; object-src 'none'"
Header always set X-XSS-Protection "1; mode=block"