Conditional XSS via incomplete URL-scheme denylist
Published Jul 8, 2026 · Updated Jul 8, 2026
Cross-site scripting in Mistune before 3.3.0 allows remote attackers to execute script through rendered Markdown links with legacy schemes. The HTMLRenderer.safe_url method compares link and image URLs against a four-entry HARMFUL_PROTOCOLS denylist, then emits every unmatched scheme into href or src attributes. Exploitation requires attacker-influenced Markdown, a user click, and a browser or handler that honors a legacy or chained scheme; script then runs in the rendered page's origin.
Summary
What happened
Cross-site scripting in Mistune before 3.3.0 allows remote attackers to execute script through rendered Markdown links with legacy schemes. The HTMLRenderer.safe_url method compares link and image URLs against a four-entry HARMFUL_PROTOCOLS denylist, then emits every unmatched scheme into href or src attributes. Exploitation requires attacker-influenced Markdown, a user click, and a browser or handler that honors a legacy or chained scheme; script then runs in the rendered page's origin.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-59929
- Published
- Jul 8, 2026
- Updated
- Jul 8, 2026
- Vendor
- Lepture
- Product
- Mistune
- Classifications
- CWE-184, CWE-79, T1204.001
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jul 8, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jul 8, 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?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=< 3.3.0
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
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
- Mistune legacy and chained URL-scheme proof of conceptproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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