Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessInject unescaped payload into mail template data
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DeliveryHTML email generated without escaping
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ExploitVictim renders message in browser/webmail
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ExecutionScript executes in victim session
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ImpactSession hijack or action in victim context
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 | Requires the HTML mail template feature of Joomla core to be in use and attacker-influenced data to reach a template field that is emitted without escaping, then a victim to render the resulting HTML email in a script-executing context (browser-based preview/webmail). Limiting factors: mail-template configuration is an administrative/operator function; many email clients sanitize or strip inline script, reducing the reliability of delivery; the vendor's PR:N/UI:N rating likely overstates reachability since a rendering victim is needed. Affects Joomla 4.0.0-5.4.8 and 6.0.0-6.1.3 only. |
| Impact | This is a stored/reflected XSS (CWE-79) in Joomla's HTML mail template feature, self-reported by Joomla in advisory 20260908. The vendor CVSS 4.0 vector (6.9, AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N) implies unauthenticated, no-interaction network exploitation against confidentiality only, but this rating is internally inconsistent for a mail-template XSS: rendering an injected payload realistically requires a victim to open/preview the message (UI should be Required) and configuring mail templates is an administrative function, so PR:N/UI:N appears overstated - verify with the vendor advisory. There is no EPSS score, no CISA KEV listing, and no public exploit identified at time of analysis, so despite Joomla's ubiquity this is not evidence of active or imminent widespread exploitation. Net real-world risk is moderate: broad install base and a mail feature present in many extensions, but constrained by the need for a rendering context (email clients frequently strip active script) and likely privileged injection points, making it a real-but-not-urgent patch item rather than a drop-everything emergency. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker gets attacker-controlled data (e.g., values later interpolated into an HTML mail template across one of the affected core extensions) into the mail pipeline without proper escaping. When the resulting HTML email is rendered in a browser-based mail preview or webmail context, the injected script executes in the viewer's session, enabling session-token theft or actions in the victim's authenticated context. No public proof-of-concept exists at time of analysis. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Sep 29, 2026
Cross-site scripting in the HTML mail template feature of Joomla CMS 4.0.0 through 5.4.8 and 6.0.0 through 6.1.3 allows attacker-influenced data to reach template fields that are emitted without escaping, so crafted content can execute script when the resulting HTML email is rendered in a browser-based preview or webmail client. Our assessment treats exploitation as requiring the HTML mail template feature to be in use plus an authenticated, operator-level party able to influence template fields and a victim who renders the message, even though the vendor's CVSS 4.0 vector carries PR:N/UI:N; the deliverability of the payload is further limited because many mail clients strip or sanitize inline script. No public exploit code and no confirmed active exploitation were identified at time of analysis, and Joomla has published advisory 20260908 covering the fix.
RemediationAI
Apply the vendor fix released in response to Joomla security advisory 20260908, which means updating Joomla! CMS out of the affected ranges - i.e., to a release later than 5.4.8 on the 5.x line or later than 6.1.3 on the 6.x line - by following the update instructions and full advisory text at https://developer.joomla.org/security-centre/1088-20260908-core-xss-in-html-mail-templates.html; the exact patched version numbers should be confirmed against that advisory before rollout. If immediate upgrade is not possible, reduce exposure by restricting who can create or edit HTML mail templates to trusted super users, disabling or not using the HTML mail template feature until the update is applied, and avoiding the storage of unescaped attacker-influenced values in template fields; note that disabling the feature will break custom HTML notification emails, and that restricting template editing is only a partial control because the escaping defect remains in the code path. As a delivery-side mitigation, keep mail clients and webmail previews configured to block active content, understanding this only lowers the reliability of the attack and does not remove the underlying escaping flaw; no public exploit code was identified at time of analysis, so prioritization can follow the vendor's 6.9 score tempered by the interaction and privilege prerequisites identified in our assessment.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
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
This is a CWE-79 improper neutralization of input during web page generation (cross-site scripting) in Joomla's HTML mail template subsystem, where template fields are rendered into HTML email bodies without output escaping, allowing markup and script to be injected into the generated message. The affected code is Joomla! CMS core (CPE cpe:2.3:a:joomla!_project:joomla!_cms:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*) rather than an isolated third-party component, which is why the advisory notes XSS vectors across multiple extensions that consume the mail template feature. Because the injection point is an email body rather than a page served by Joomla itself, script execution depends on a rendering context that honors inline HTML/script - typically a browser preview, an HTML-capable webmail client, or a mail client with scripting enabled - which is why the effective attack chain is best modeled as stored/reflected XSS with victim interaction rather than a directly reachable web-application XSS. Impact is consistent with low confidentiality and integrity effects confined to the rendering context (C:L/I:L) rather than server compromise; the vendor's CVSS 4.0 vector (6.9, AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N) rates preconditions more generously than our CVSS 3.1 assessment (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N), which accounts for template management being an administrative/operator function and for the need for a rendering victim.
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Severity by source
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
XSS needs a victim to render the mail (UI:R) and template/injection context is operator-influenced (PR:L); script runs in the victim browser crossing a trust boundary (S:C) with limited C/I impact.
Primary rating from Vendor (Joomla).
CVSS VectorVendor: Joomla
DescriptionCVE.org
Joomla! Core - [20260908] - Core - XSS in HTML Mail Templates in Joomla 4.0.0-5.4.8, 6.0.0-6.1.3 - The mail template feature lacks an escaping mechanism, causing XSS vectors in multiple extensions.
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.
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EUVD-2026-89080
GHSA-gv72-vwwm-957f
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB