Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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ReconCraft mXSS payload with wrapper-closing sequence in attribute
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DeliverySubmit to application input processed by DOMPurify
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ExploitPayload survives sanitization unmodified
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InstallApplication concatenates sanitized output into xmp/noscript/iframe wrapper string
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C2Application writes wrapper string to innerHTML
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ExecuteBrowser reparses in special-element context, payload mutates
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ImpactInjected event handler executes JavaScript in victim browser
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 both conditions to be true simultaneously: (1) the application uses DOMPurify in a version prior to 3.3.2, AND (2) the application re-inserts DOMPurify-sanitized HTML into the DOM via innerHTML using one of the confirmed special wrapper elements - script, xmp, iframe, noembed, noframes, or noscript. This wrapper re-contextualization is an application-level pattern, not a default DOMPurify behavior; applications that set innerHTML directly without wrapping, or that use other insertion methods such as textContent, are not affected by this specific flaw. User interaction (CVSS UI:P) is required - a victim must load or interact with the page that performs the vulnerable reparse. No authentication or server-side privileges are required from the attacker (PR:N), as the payload is delivered through attacker-controlled input to the sanitization function. Exploitation is therefore scoped to web applications with this specific non-default rendering architecture. |
| Impact | The CVSS 4.0 score of 5.3 (SC:L/SI:L with VC:N/VI:N/VA:N) accurately reflects that impact is limited to the victim's browser session via subsequent-system JavaScript execution - not server-side or infrastructure compromise. UI:P (user interaction required) and the prerequisite of a specific application-level usage pattern (re-insertion into wrapper elements) are meaningful limiting factors. However, the existence of a working public PoC - confirmed in GHSA-h8r8-wccr-v5f2 - materially elevates exploitability above what the score alone suggests. DOMPurify's widespread adoption as a de facto standard sanitization library means the blast radius across the ecosystem is significant even if only a subset of deployments use the vulnerable wrapper reinsertion pattern. No CISA KEV listing exists, so confirmed mass exploitation is unverified. EPSS data was not provided in the input. Real-world priority is moderate-to-high for any application using DOMPurify for client-side sanitization and piping output through innerHTML with the listed wrapper elements - the PoC lowers the bar for opportunistic exploitation. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker submits a crafted payload - such as <img src=x alt="</xmp><img src=x onerror=alert('xss')"> - to a web application that sanitizes user input with DOMPurify and then writes the sanitized string into a page via innerHTML wrapped in an xmp element. DOMPurify passes the payload through unchanged, as the </xmp> sequence inside the alt attribute is not flagged in the initial parse context. When the application's innerHTML assignment triggers a second browser parse under the xmp wrapper context, the </xmp> closes the wrapper early and the injected <img onerror=...> is instantiated as a live DOM node, executing arbitrary JavaScript in the victim's browser. A complete working demonstration application is included in the GHSA advisory. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Jul 23, 2026
Mutation-XSS in DOMPurify before 3.3.2 enables JavaScript execution in victim browsers when sanitized output is re-inserted into the DOM via innerHTML using wrapper elements such as xmp, noscript, iframe, noembed, noframes, or script. Attacker-controlled payloads containing wrapper-closing sequences (e.g., </xmp>) survive DOMPurify sanitization intact but mutate during the browser's second parse, breaking out of the wrapper context and activating injected event handlers. A working public proof-of-concept is confirmed in the GHSA advisory; no CISA KEV listing at time of analysis.
RemediationAI
Upgrade DOMPurify to version 3.3.2 or later using npm install dompurify@3.3.2 - this is the vendor-released patch confirmed by the cure53 GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-h8r8-wccr-v5f2 (https://github.com/cure53/DOMPurify/security/advisories/GHSA-h8r8-wccr-v5f2). As a compensating control where immediate upgrade is not feasible, eliminate re-insertion of sanitized output via innerHTML inside the confirmed vulnerable wrapper elements (script, xmp, iframe, noembed, noframes, noscript) - this removes the second parse context that triggers mutation; trade-off is that it may require refactoring rendering logic. Alternatively, sanitize the full composed string (wrapper included) rather than sanitizing content before wrapper concatenation, though this approach is brittle and not a substitute for patching. Using textContent for trusted text fragments instead of innerHTML avoids parser re-entry entirely where markup rendering is not needed. Upgrading to 3.3.2 is the only reliable remediation.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in npm
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
DOMPurify (npm: dompurify, CPE: cpe:2.3:a:cure53:dompurify:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*) is a JavaScript HTML sanitization library maintained by cure53. The root cause is CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation) arising from a classic mXSS re-contextualization pattern: DOMPurify correctly sanitizes input in one HTML parsing context, but the application subsequently injects the sanitized string into a second, semantically different context via innerHTML combined with HTML5 'special element' wrappers. Per HTML5 parsing rules, elements like xmp and noscript suppress normal tag parsing within their content, treating the interior as raw text. An attacker-controlled attribute value embedding a closing sequence (e.g., </xmp>) causes the browser to terminate the special context prematurely during the second parse, re-exposing attacker markup - such as <img onerror=alert()> - as active DOM nodes outside the original attribute boundary. The sanitizer never sees the second parse and therefore cannot intercept the mutation.
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Severity by source
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:L/SI:L/SA:N
Network-reachable with no auth required, but user interaction and scope change apply as JavaScript executes in victim browser context with no server-side impact.
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Primary rating from Vendor (VulnCheck).
CVSS VectorVendor: VulnCheck
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
DOMPurify before 3.3.2 contains a mutation-XSS vulnerability when sanitized HTML is reinserted into special parsing contexts using innerHTML with wrappers like script, xmp, iframe, noembed, noframes, or noscript. Attackers can craft payloads with closing sequences that break out of the wrapper context during reparsing, reactivating dangerous markup with event handlers to execute JavaScript.
Blast Radius
ecosystem impact- 287 npm packages depend on dompurify (25 direct, 262 indirect)
Ecosystem-wide dependent count for version 3.3.2.
Threat Intelligence Overview
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.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Cross-Site Scripting occurs when an application accepts untrusted data and sends it to a web browser without proper validation or encoding.
DOMPurify is a DOM-only, super-fast, uber-tolerant XSS sanitizer for HTML, MathML and SVG. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6
Cure53 DOMPurify before 2.0.17 allows mutation XSS. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exp
DOMPurify before 2.0.1 allows XSS because of innerHTML mutation XSS (mXSS) for an SVG element or a MATH element, as demo
DOMPurify is a DOM-only, super-fast, uber-tolerant XSS sanitizer for HTML, MathML and SVG. Rated critical severity (CVSS
Hook mutation pollution in DOMPurify <= 3.4.5 allows persistent bypass of HTML sanitization defaults when application-in
Trusted Types policy state contamination in DOMPurify 3.0.0-3.4.8 allows a previously supplied TRUSTED_TYPES_POLICY to s
Prototype pollution in DOMPurify's USE_PROFILES mode enables DOM-based XSS by causing the sanitizer to accept event hand
URI validation bypass in DOMPurify 3.3.1 and earlier allows `javascript:` protocol payloads to survive HTML sanitization
SAFE_FOR_TEMPLATES bypass in DOMPurify 3.0.0-3.4.7 allows template expressions such as ${evil}, {{evil}}, and <%evil%> t
Cross-site scripting in DOMPurify 3.4.6 and earlier enables script execution when the library's IN_PLACE sanitization mo
Stored XSS is achievable in applications using DOMPurify's setConfig() API combined with an uponSanitizeAttribute hook t
DOMPurify before 3.2.4 has an incorrect template literal regular expression, sometimes leading to mutation cross-site sc
Same weakness CWE-79 – Cross-site Scripting (XSS)
View allVendor StatusVendor
SUSE
Severity: Important| Product | Status |
|---|---|
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for SAP Applications 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications 16.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications 16.1 | Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 16.0 | Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP6 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for SAP Applications 15 SP3 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for SAP Applications 15 SP4 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for SAP Applications 15 SP5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for SAP Applications 15 SP6 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP3 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP4 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP5 | Affected |
EUVD-2026-48277
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
GitHub
VulDB
Exploit-DB