Cross-site scripting via pre-normalization URL validation
Published Apr 15, 2026 · Updated Apr 15, 2026
Cross-site scripting in goldmark renderer/html before 1.7.17 allows remote attackers to execute browser scripts through crafted Markdown URLs. The link and image renderers call IsDangerousURL before URLEscape resolves character references, so an encoded JavaScript scheme passes validation and is emitted into HTML. An application must render attacker-controlled Markdown and a user must activate the emitted link; execution occurs in that application's browser origin.
Summary
What happened
Cross-site scripting in goldmark renderer/html before 1.7.17 allows remote attackers to execute browser scripts through crafted Markdown URLs. The link and image renderers call IsDangerousURL before URLEscape resolves character references, so an encoded JavaScript scheme passes validation and is emitted into HTML. An application must render attacker-controlled Markdown and a user must activate the emitted link; execution occurs in that application's browser origin.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-5160
- Published
- Apr 15, 2026
- Updated
- Apr 15, 2026
- Vendor
- Yusuke Inuzuka
- Product
- goldmark renderer/html
- Classifications
- CWE-79, T1203
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Apr 15, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Apr 15, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
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- Affected versionversion=0 <1.7.17
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
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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