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Apache Sling XSS CVE-2026-91928

| EUVDEUVD-2026-85179 MEDIUM
Cross-site Scripting (XSS) (CWE-79)
2026-09-23 apache GHSA-rrc3-fm2q-6j2c
6.1
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: apache
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Craft payload evading Sling XSS filter
  2. Delivery
    Deliver via crafted URL or form input
  3. Exploit
    Victim renders page in browser
  4. Execution
    Malicious script executes in session
  5. Impact
    Hijack session or perform actions

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A05:2025 - Injection
ASVS 5.0
V1 - Encoding and Sanitization Output encoding, context-aware escaping
MITRE ATT&CK

2 techniques across 2 tactics: Initial Access, Execution

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires an application built on the Apache Sling XSS Protection API (versions before 2.4.12) that uses the library to sanitize or encode attacker-influenced input reflected into an HTML response - most commonly Apache Sling or Adobe AEM sites. A victim must load the affected page/interact with the malicious link (user interaction), and the payload must reach a rendering path that relies on the vulnerable library rather than a separate encoder. Limiting factors: impact is confined to the victim's browser session, requires user interaction, and depends on the deployed application actually routing untrusted data through the flawed API; the generic advisory does not confirm whether the vector is reflected, stored, or DOM-based.

Impact

No CVSS score or vector was supplied by NVD or Apache, so severity must be inferred. This is a genuine CWE-79 cross-site scripting flaw in the Apache Sling XSS Protection API library - notable because the library IS the XSS-defense mechanism, so a flaw here silently weakens every downstream consumer (Apache Sling and Adobe AEM applications that rely on it for output encoding). Classic reflected/stored XSS of this type typically scores around CVSS 6.1 (MEDIUM). No EPSS probability, no CISA KEV listing, and no public exploit code are present in the provided data - no public exploit identified at time of analysis. There is no conflicting-signal problem because only the Apache advisory exists; the main gap is that the description is fully generic (it names no bypass vector, injection sink, or affected API method, unlike sibling CVEs CVE-2026-73192/CVE-2026-91852), so exploit specifics cannot be verified. Real-world priority is moderate-and-conditional: the impact ceiling of a single XSS is browser-session-scoped (C:L/I:L), but the multiplier effect of a flaw in a shared sanitization library means AEM/Sling operators should patch to 2.4.12 promptly even absent evidence of exploitation.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker crafts input containing script markup that the Apache Sling XSS filter fails to neutralize, then delivers it via a URL or form to an application relying on the library for output encoding. When a victim's browser renders the page, the attacker's JavaScript executes in the victim's session context, enabling session-token theft or actions on the victim's behalf. No public proof-of-concept is available for this specific CVE.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
Patch available 0.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Sep 23, 2026

Cross-site scripting in the Apache Sling XSS Protection API before version 2.4.12 allows unauthenticated remote attackers to have attacker-supplied script execute in a victim's browser session when an application built on the library routes untrusted, attacker-influenced input through the flawed sanitization/encoding routines and reflects it into an HTML response. Because the affected artifact is a shared library rather than a standalone server, exposure depends entirely on the consuming application - most commonly Apache Sling-based sites and Adobe Experience Manager - and exploitation requires the victim to load the crafted page or click a malicious link (user interaction). Neither NVD nor Apache published a CVSS score for this issue, so severity must be inferred from the library-level flaw and the deployed context; the assessed vector is CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N (unauthenticated, user-interaction dependent, scoped impact affecting the embedding application), and no public exploit identified at time of analysis.

RemediationAI

Vendor-released patch: upgrade the Apache Sling XSS Protection API (org.apache.sling.xss bundle) to version 2.4.12 or later, which the vendor states fixes the issue; for Adobe Experience Manager, apply the release or service pack that ships the corrected bundle, then verify the resolved bundle version in the OSGi console or Web Console. If the fixed bundle cannot be deployed immediately, the effective compensating control is to stop relying on the vulnerable library for untrusted data: apply context-aware output encoding with an independent, maintained encoder (for example OWASP Java Encoder) immediately before the data is written into HTML, attribute, URL, or JavaScript contexts, replacing rather than stacking on top of the vulnerable calls because double-encoding can visibly corrupt rendered content and break links or forms. Deploying a restrictive Content Security Policy that blocks inline and untrusted script is a useful defense-in-depth layer but will break inline handlers and third-party widgets until the policy is tuned, and it does not fix the underlying output-encoding defect. For stored-XSS exposure, also review and clean persisted content that was previously written through the vulnerable API, since patching the library does not sanitize data already stored. Prioritize remediation for AEM and Sling sites where anonymous users can submit content that is later rendered to other users; the vendor advisory at https://lists.apache.org/thread/yfb1q6zob8mth5lr4jnsy3lhx9rfwb02 is the authoritative source for version and upgrade guidance.

Affected VersionsENISA

Apache Sling XSS 0 <2.4.12

Affected Packages

euvd apache_sling_xss fix: 2.4.12

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

The root cause class is CWE-79, improper neutralization of input during web page generation. The Apache Sling XSS Protection API (the org.apache.sling.xss bundle, exposing the XSSAPI service) is an output-encoding and HTML-filtering helper library that Apache Sling applications and Adobe Experience Manager use to escape or sanitize untrusted data before writing it into an HTML/attribute/URL/JavaScript context. In versions before 2.4.12 the neutralization applied by that API is insufficient for at least some input or output-context combinations, so any downstream page that relies on the library - rather than a separate encoder - inherits the cross-site scripting weakness. The CPE entry cpe:2.3:a:apache_software_foundation:apache_sling_xss:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* carries a wildcard version, confirming that every release prior to the fixed 2.4.12 line is in scope, while the distinctness of the CPE means the vulnerable component is the XSS Protection bundle itself, not the Sling framework as a whole. The public advisory is deliberately generic: it confirms the CWE-79 classification and the fixed version but does not disclose the specific encoding method, injection context, or whether the vector is reflected, stored, or DOM-based, which means defenders must treat all XSSAPI-based rendering paths as potentially affected.

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Severity by source

Vendor (apache) PRIMARY 6.1 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
vuln.today AI 6.1 MEDIUM

Network-reachable web XSS with no auth (PR:N) but requiring victim interaction (UI:R); scope change (S:C) as script runs in the victim browser, limited confidentiality/integrity impact and no availability impact.

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:L/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (apache).

CVSS VectorVendor: apache

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

Lifecycle Timeline

1
Patch available
Sep 23, 2026 - 11:17 EUVD

DescriptionCVE.org

Improper neutralization of input during web page generation ('cross-site scripting') vulnerability in Apache Sling XSS.

This issue affects Apache Sling XSS: before 2.4.12.

Users are recommended to upgrade to version 2.4.12, which fixes the issue.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.2%
Top 89% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
widely-used Java XSS library underpinning Apache Sling and Adobe AEM deployments
Data Quality
6 sources
Confidence: High

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity MEDIUM
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.2%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
No
Human Impact· derived
Medium
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

30
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +30
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Cross-Site Scripting occurs when an application accepts untrusted data and sends it to a web browser without proper validation or encoding.

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