Admin-browser script execution via unsanitized category title
Published Dec 17, 2025 · Updated Dec 17, 2025
Stored XSS in XenForo 2.2.13 allows remote authenticated users with admin privileges to execute scripts through a smilie category title. The smilie-category save endpoint accepts an HTML event handler in the title field, stores it, and renders the value without neutralization. Administrator access is required to create the category, and a subsequent admin-panel rendering executes the script in the viewing administrator's browser context.
Summary
What happened
Stored XSS in XenForo 2.2.13 allows remote authenticated users with admin privileges to execute scripts through a smilie category title. The smilie-category save endpoint accepts an HTML event handler in the title field, stores it, and renders the value without neutralization. Administrator access is required to create the category, and a subsequent admin-panel rendering executes the script in the viewing administrator's browser context.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-53904
- Published
- Dec 17, 2025
- Updated
- Dec 17, 2025
- Vendor
- XenForo Ltd.
- Product
- XenForo
- Classifications
- CWE-79, T1203
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- admin
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Dec 17, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Dec 17, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=2.2.13
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- Xenforo Version 2.2.13 - Authenticated Stored XSSproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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