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Solarwinds Observability Self Hosted EUVDEUVD-2026-16185

| CVE-2026-28298 MEDIUM
Cross-site Scripting (XSS) (CWE-79)
2026-03-26 SolarWinds GHSA-c2f7-jh9g-224w
5.9
CVSS 3.1 · NVD
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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.

Impact

The CVSS 3.1 score of 5.9 (Medium) reflects the restricted attack profile: attack vector is Adjacent (AV:A, requiring network access from same local network or physically adjacent), access control is Low, privileges required are High (PR:H), and user interaction is required (UI:R). The scope is Unchanged and impact is limited to Confidentiality and Integrity (no Availability impact). CISA's SSVC framework indicates no confirmed exploitation to date, the attack is not automatable (requires manual injection and victim interaction), and technical impact would be total if successful. Together, these signals indicate a legitimate but contained risk: while the stored XSS could expose sensitive user data or manipulate observability dashboards, exploitation demands multiple preconditions (high privileges, adjacent network access, user interaction) that significantly reduce real-world threat likelihood. This is not a high-priority vulnerability despite medium CVSS, as the attack surface is restricted to internal network actors with administrative credentials.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

A disgruntled system administrator with high-privilege credentials on the SolarWinds Observability Self-Hosted deployment could inject a malicious JavaScript payload into a dashboard title, alert message, or custom metric field. When other users access those dashboards to view observability data, the stored script executes in their browsers, potentially stealing session tokens, exfiltrating sensitive monitoring data, or redirecting users to a phishing site. The adjacent network requirement and high-privilege prerequisite limit this scenario primarily to insider threat contexts rather than external attacks.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
No patch listed yet 0.0% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Mar 26, 2026

SolarWinds Observability Self-Hosted versions 2026.1.1 and earlier contain a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability that permits authenticated high-privilege users to inject malicious scripts into the application, resulting in unintended script execution when other users access affected pages. The vulnerability requires high privilege level and user interaction to exploit, limiting real-world attack surface; no public exploit code or active exploitation has been identified at the time of analysis.

RemediationAI

Upgrade SolarWinds Observability Self-Hosted to a version released after 2026.1.1; consult the SolarWinds security advisory at https://www.solarwinds.com/trust-center/security-advisories/CVE-2026-28298 for the specific patched version number and availability. Until patching is feasible, restrict administrative access to the application to trusted internal users only, enforce network segmentation to limit access from the local network to authorized personnel, and conduct user awareness training to recognize and report suspicious content modifications in dashboards. Additionally, implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers where possible to mitigate XSS payload execution even if stored payloads are present.

Affected VersionsENISA

SolarWinds Observability Self-Hosted 2026.1.1 and previous versions

Affects your stack

Find out whether the stacks and servers you run are on an affected version.

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

Technical ContextAI · show details

The vulnerability is classified as CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation), a stored XSS flaw in which user-supplied input is not properly sanitized before being persisted in the application database and subsequently rendered in web pages. SolarWinds Observability Self-Hosted (CPE: cpe:2.3:a:solarwinds:solarwinds_observability_self-hosted:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*) is a self-hosted observability platform that processes and displays monitoring data. The vulnerability exists in the web application tier where administrative or high-privilege users can inject script payloads through input fields that are inadequately filtered, leading to execution in the browser context of other users when they view stored content.

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Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 5.9 MEDIUM
AV:A/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector
Adjacent
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
High
User Interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

DescriptionCVE.org

SolarWinds Observability Self-Hosted was found to be affected by a stored cross-site scripting vulnerability, which when exploited, can lead to unintended script execution.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

Organizations using SolarWinds Observability Self-Hosted should be aware of moderate risk from CVE-2026-28298, a cross-site scripting vulnerability rated CVSS 5.9. Attackers could inject scripts to steal sessions or perform actions as authenticated users. Organizations should apply vendor updates when available and monitor for exploitation.

Business Impact: Low
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch. If patching is delayed: implement CSP headers, enable HttpOnly cookies, deploy WAF XSS rules.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.0%
Top 91% exploitable
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 0.0%
Patch available No
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
Defer
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Controlled
Automatable
No
Human Impact
Low
Technical Impact
Total

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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