CVE-2026-66370 — html_sanitize_ex HTML5 scrubber keeps attacker-supplied form-association attributes, allowing form hijacking
URL Redirection to Untrusted Site ('Open Redirect') vulnerability in the HTML5 scrubber in rrrene html_sanitize_ex allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to retarget a form already on the rendering page and receive whatever the victim submits, including credentials, via the form and formaction attributes on an <input> element in sanitized HTML. HTML's form attribute associates an input with any form on the page by its id even when the input sits outside that form, and formaction on a submit control overrides the owning form's action. Neither attribute receives a scheme check, so an absolute cross-origin URL survives sanitizing. No script executes. The scrubber allows neither form nor button, so the attacker cannot introduce a form of their own and the rendering page must already contain a form carrying an id. This issue affects html_sanitize_ex: from 0.3.1 before 1.4.5 and from 1.5.0-rc.0 before 1.5.3.
Who exploits it and how urgent it is
A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.
How the score was calculated
- Technical severity (medium)+3
The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).
Triage
Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.
CISA SSVC assessment CISA
Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.
Remediation
Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.
- Documented patch — cna.erlef.org (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
- Documented patch — github.com (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
- Documented patch — osv.dev (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
First 24 hours
Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.
- Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Rrrene Htmlsanitizeex).
- The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
- Apply the fixed version or the patch documented under Remediation.
- Exploitation requires user interaction: tighten email/web filtering and warn affected users.
- Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (open redirect), errors and authentication anomalies.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rrrene | Htmlsanitizeex | ≥ 0.3.1 and < 1.5.3 | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| Rrrene | Htmlsanitizeex | ≥ 0.3.1 and < 1.4.5≥ 1.5.0-rc.0 and < 1.5.3≥ 8976d64ea0b77d26093a94a43ec48a3978e8d028 | Vulnerable | CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
Attack characteristics
The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.
Every base score collected
Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.
| Score | Version | Severity | Expl. | Impact | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.8 | CVSS 4.0 | Medium | — | — | 6b3ad84c-e1a6-4bf7-a703-f496b71e49db via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 4.8 | CVSS 4.0 | Medium | — | — | EEF via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| 6.1 | CVSS 3.1 | Medium | 2.8 | 2.7 | nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N (score shown at the top: nvd@nist.gov) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
Detection
Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.
- Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- Affected products added · rrrene/html sanitize ex
- SSVC assessment updated
- Record published
- Fix documented
- CVSS changed · 6.1
- Source status changed · → Modified
- Record created in this database
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 15, 2026 – Oct 15, 2026
References
5 on the record
- osv.dev/vulnerability/EEF-CVE-2026-66370
- github.com/rrrene/html_sanitize_ex/commit/a1e804ed997e780ea71d14393cf2f701330553
- github.com/rrrene/html_sanitize_ex/commit/21394e758cb0ffe12fb9953c30fdedc6016c8f
- cna.erlef.org/cves/CVE-2026-66370.html
- github.com/rrrene/html_sanitize_ex/security/advisories/GHSA-w3f9-jjhw-wwvq
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- Medium CVE-2026-68747 CSS sanitizer allowlist bypass in html_sanitize_ex via non-declaration input Aug 6, 2026
- High CVE-2026-68749 Quadratic regex backtracking in the html_sanitize_ex CSS scrubber allows CPU-exhaustion denial of service Aug 6, 2026
- High CVE-2026-68750 Quadratic sibling re-flattening in the html_sanitize_ex traversal engine allows CPU-exhaustion denial of service Aug 6, 2026
- Medium CVE-2026-66829 html_sanitize_ex HTML5 scrubber keeps attacker-supplied meta refresh, allowing forced cross-origin redirection Aug 6, 2026
- Medium CVE-2026-66843 html_sanitize_ex HTML5 scrubber keeps attacker-supplied `<object>` elements, allowing untrusted content embedding Aug 6, 2026
Not in any source we poll
Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.
- No FIRST EPSS score.
- No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
- No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
- No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.
Answered from this record
Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.
What should defenders know first?
CVE-2026-66370 is "html_sanitize_ex HTML5 scrubber keeps attacker-supplied form-association attributes, allowing form hijacking", rated Medium. It affects Htmlsanitizeex (Rrrene); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 6.1 describes technical severity. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.
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