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sanitize-html EUVDEUVD-2026-105209

| CVE-2026-113661 MEDIUM
Cross-site Scripting (XSS) (CWE-79)
2026-10-20 GitHub_M GHSA-cv27-6wvh-8x7j
5.4
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: GitHub_M
View

Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Access
    Authenticate as low-privileged content author
  2. Delivery
    Submit content with meta refresh tag
  3. Exploit
    Sanitizer retains unsafe refresh destination
  4. Execution
    Victim renders stored content
  5. Impact
    Script executes or browser redirects in victim session

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 a NON-DEFAULT sanitize-html configuration that explicitly permits meta refresh elements along with their http-equiv and content attributes; default configurations are not affected. The attacker must also hold an account permitted to submit content (PR:L per the CVSS vector), and a victim must subsequently render the malicious content (UI:R). These factors - the non-default allow-list, required authenticated submission, and required victim interaction - collectively limit realistic exploitation to sites that have deliberately loosened the sanitizer's defaults.

Impact

This is a moderate-severity stored/reflected XSS (CWE-79) with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.4 (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N). The network vector and low attack complexity are offset by three meaningful brakes: it requires some privilege (PR:L - an account able to submit content), it requires victim interaction (UI:R - someone must render the malicious content), and most importantly it only manifests under a NON-DEFAULT sanitize-html configuration that explicitly allows meta refresh elements plus their http-equiv and content attributes. No EPSS score was supplied, the CVE is not on the CISA KEV list, and no public proof-of-concept is referenced, so there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis. The scope change (S:C) correctly reflects that a sanitizer bypass lets attacker content execute in the victim's browser context. Net: this is a real but conditional defense-in-depth issue, not a drop-everything priority - its blast radius is limited to deployments that have deliberately loosened the default allow-list to permit meta refresh. Note also a data caveat: the provided 'source code evidence' commit diff contains only CI workflow and documentation changes and does NOT show the actual sanitize-html fix, so the patch content could not be independently verified from the supplied diff.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

On an ApostropheCMS instance whose sanitize-html allow-list has been customized to permit meta elements with http-equiv/content attributes, a low-privileged content contributor submits body content containing a meta refresh tag whose content value carries a javascript: or hostile redirect URL. When an administrator or another user later views that content, the retained refresh destination fires in their browser, enabling script execution or forced redirection. No public exploit code is identified at time of analysis.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
Patch available 0.3% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 20, 2026

Stored cross-site scripting can occur in sites using sanitize-html before 2.18.0 when a non-default allow-list permits meta refresh elements and their http-equiv/content attributes, because unsafe script or redirect destinations in the refresh value are retained. ApostropheCMS deployments that bundle the affected library are in scope, but default sanitize-html configurations are not affected; exploitation requires an account able to submit content and a victim who renders it. The issue is fixed in sanitize-html 2.18.0, and no public exploit was identified at time of analysis.

RemediationAI

Upgrade sanitize-html to 2.18.0 or later; the vendor-released patch is sanitize-html 2.18.0, and ApostropheCMS users should deploy a CMS release that incorporates that fixed library version per https://github.com/apostrophecms/apostrophe/releases/tag/sanitize-html@2.18.0 and the advisory https://github.com/apostrophecms/apostrophe/security/advisories/GHSA-cv27-6wvh-8x7j. If immediate upgrade is not possible, remove meta from the sanitizer's allowed tags and remove http-equiv and content from allowed attributes, or reject/sanitize refresh content so it cannot carry script URLs or attacker-controlled redirects; this breaks legitimate meta-refresh redirects and may affect accessibility or SEO workflows. Also restrict content submission privileges to trusted users as a compensating control, recognizing that this does not eliminate the need to patch.

Affected VersionsENISA

Apostrophe < 4.33.0
sanitize-html < 2.18.0

Affected Packages

npm sanitize-html fix: 2.18.0
euvd apostrophe fix: 4.33.0

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 2 packages in npm, euvd

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

Technical ContextAI · show details

sanitize-html is a Node.js HTML sanitizer used by ApostropheCMS to filter user-supplied markup according to allow-lists. CVE-2026-113661 is a CWE-79 improper neutralization of input during web page generation: when an administrator or integrator opts into allowing <meta> refresh tags and the http-equiv/content attributes, the sanitizer can preserve a refresh content value containing script-bearing or attacker-controlled redirect destinations. The relevant CPEs identify both apostrophecms:sanitize-html and apostrophecms:apostrophe, reflecting the library and the CMS that consumes it; versions before 2.18.0 are affected. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N, base 5.4) matches a stored/reflected XSS requiring authenticated content submission and victim interaction.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (GitHub_M) PRIMARY 5.4 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
vuln.today AI 5.4 MEDIUM

Authenticated content submission gives PR:L, victim rendering gives UI:R, and sanitizer bypass executing in the browser gives S:C with limited C/I and no availability impact.

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:P/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:L/SI:L/SA:N
Red Hat 5.4 MEDIUM

Primary rating from Vendor (GitHub_M).

CVSS VectorVendor: GitHub_M

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

Lifecycle Timeline

1
Patch available
Oct 20, 2026 - 19:03 EUVD

DescriptionCVE.org

ApostropheCMS is an open-source Node.js content management system, and sanitize-html provides a simple HTML sanitizer with a clear API. Prior to sanitize-html 2.18.0, a non-default configuration that allows meta refresh elements and their http-equiv and content attributes can retain unsafe script or redirect destinations embedded in the refresh content value. This issue is fixed in sanitize-html 2.18.0.

Blast Radius

ecosystem impact
† from your stack dependencies † transitive graph · vuln.today resolves 4-path depth
  • 108 npm packages depend on sanitize-html (28 direct, 83 indirect)

Ecosystem-wide dependent count for version 2.18.0.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.3%
Top 83% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
sanitize-html is a popular npm library, but ApostropheCMS is a niche Node.js CMS
Threat Intel
1
1 source
Social Media
1
Sightings
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium

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 0.3%
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· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact· derived
Medium

Priority Score

27
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +27
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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6.5 Aug 17

Integrity bypass in ApostropheCMS page management allows authenticated low-privileged editors to move pages into restric

CVE-2026-63670 MEDIUM POC
6.1 Aug 17

Stored cross-site scripting in ApostropheCMS prior to 2.17.6 enables execution of arbitrary JavaScript in victim browser

CVE-2014-125128 MEDIUM POC
6.1 Sep 08

'sanitize-html' prior to version 1.0.3 is vulnerable to Cross-site Scripting (XSS). Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), th

CVE-2019-25225 MEDIUM POC
6.1 Sep 08

`sanitize-html` prior to version 2.0.0-beta is vulnerable to Cross-site Scripting (XSS). Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1

CVE-2021-25979 CRITICAL
9.8 Nov 08

Apostrophe CMS versions prior to 3.3.1 did not invalidate existing login sessions when disabling a user account or chang

CVE-2026-84371 MEDIUM POC
5.4 Sep 01

Stored XSS in sanitize-html versions 1.9.0 through 2.17.6 allows authenticated low-privileged users to inject executable

CVE-2024-21501 MEDIUM POC
5.3 Feb 24

Versions of the package sanitize-html before 2.12.1 are vulnerable to Information Exposure when used on the backend and

CVE-2021-26540 MEDIUM POC
5.3 Feb 08

Apostrophe Technologies sanitize-html before 2.3.2 does not properly validate the hostnames set by the "allowedIframeHos

CVE-2021-26539 MEDIUM POC
5.3 Feb 08

Apostrophe Technologies sanitize-html before 2.3.1 does not properly handle internationalized domain name (IDN) which co

CVE-2026-53609 CRITICAL
9.1 Jun 12

Prototype pollution in ApostropheCMS versions up to and including 4.30.0 allows an authenticated editor to poison Object

CVE-2026-53608 HIGH
8.7 Jun 12

Stored cross-site scripting in the @apostrophecms/seo plugin (versions ≤1.4.2) allows any user holding the default edito

CVE-2026-35569 HIGH
8.7 Apr 15

Stored cross-site scripting in ApostropheCMS SEO fields permits an authenticated attacker to inject arbitrary JavaScript

Vendor StatusVendor

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