CVE-2026-50571
WebSub: Reflected script execution through intent-verification challenges
WebSub is a W3C recommendation produced by the Social Web Working Group. In recommendation REC-websub-20180123, the intent-verification protocol requires a subscriber to echo the hub.challenge value, also exposed as hub_challenge by some frameworks, but does not require safe response media typing or disabled MIME sniffing. An attacker can initiate a subscription to obtain a callback URL and redirect a victim browser to a crafted verification request containing HTML or JavaScript. Subscribers that return the challenge as text/html can execute the reflected content in the subscriber origin, using a victim's existing session to read private data or perform actions, exposing localStorage or sessionStorage and browser permissions granted to that origin. An alternative uses the verification response as an attacker-controlled same-origin script resource to bypass script-src 'self'; this can remain possible with application/octet-stream when MIME sniffing is allowed. Safe media typing and X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff are both needed to address the described scenarios. WebSub Rocks demonstrated reflection, but the advisory does not establish practical impact on that demonstration site.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- Low
- User interaction
- Required
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
5.7
WebSub: Reflected script execution through intent-verification challenges
WebSub is a W3C recommendation produced by the Social Web Working Group. In recommendation REC-websub-20180123, the intent-verification protocol requires a subscriber to echo the hub.challenge value, also exposed as hub_challenge by some frameworks, but does not require safe response media typing or disabled MIME sniffing. An attacker can initiate a subscription to obtain a callback URL and redirect a victim browser to a crafted verification request containing HTML or JavaScript. Subscribers that return the challenge as text/html can execute the reflected content in the subscriber origin, using a victim's existing session to read private data or perform actions, exposing localStorage or sessionStorage and browser permissions granted to that origin. An alternative uses the verification response as an attacker-controlled same-origin script resource to bypass script-src 'self'; this can remain possible with application/octet-stream when MIME sniffing is allowed. Safe media typing and X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff are both needed to address the described scenarios. WebSub Rocks demonstrated reflection, but the advisory does not establish practical impact on that demonstration site.
- Record
CVE-2026-50571- CVSS 3.1
- 5.7 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-79
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2026-111412
5.7
WebSub is a W3C recommendation produced by the Social Web Working Group. In recommendation REC-websub-20180123, the intent-verification protocol requires a subscriber to echo the hub.challenge value, also exposed as hub_challenge by some frameworks, but does not require safe response media typing or disabled MIME sniffing. An attacker can initiate a subscription to obtain a callback URL and redirect a victim browser to a crafted verification request containing HTML or JavaScript. Subscribers that return the challenge as text/html can execute the reflected content in the subscriber origin, using a victim's existing session to read private data or perform actions, exposing localStorage or sessionStorage and browser permissions granted to that origin. An alternative uses the verification response as an attacker-controlled same-origin script resource to bypass script-src 'self'; this can remain possible with application/octet-stream when MIME sniffing is allowed. Safe media typing and X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff are both needed to address the described scenarios. WebSub Rocks demonstrated reflection, but the advisory does not establish practical impact on that demonstration site.
- Record
EUVD-2026-111412- CVSS 3.1
- 5.7 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
5.7
WebSub is a W3C recommendation produced by the Social Web Working Group. In recommendation REC-websub-20180123, the intent-verification protocol requires a subscriber to echo the hub.challenge value, also exposed as hub_challenge by some frameworks, but does not require safe response media typing or disabled MIME sniffing. An attacker can initiate a subscription to obtain a callback URL and redirect a victim browser to a crafted verification request containing HTML or JavaScript. Subscribers that return the challenge as text/html can execute the reflected content in the subscriber origin, using a victim's existing session to read private data or perform actions, exposing localStorage or sessionStorage and browser permissions granted to that origin. An alternative uses the verification response as an attacker-controlled same-origin script resource to bypass script-src 'self'; this can remain possible with application/octet-stream when MIME sniffing is allowed. Safe media typing and X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff are both needed to address the described scenarios. WebSub Rocks demonstrated reflection, but the advisory does not establish practical impact on that demonstration site.
- Record
CVE-2026-50571- CVSS 3.1
- 5.7 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-79
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
5.7
WebSub: Reflected script execution through intent-verification challenges
WebSub is a W3C recommendation produced by the Social Web Working Group. In recommendation REC-websub-20180123, the intent-verification protocol requires a subscriber to echo the hub.challenge value, also exposed as hub_challenge by some frameworks, but does not require safe response media typing or disabled MIME sniffing. An attacker can initiate a subscription to obtain a callback URL and redirect a victim browser to a crafted verification request containing HTML or JavaScript. Subscribers that return the challenge as text/html can execute the reflected content in the subscriber origin, using a victim's existing session to read private data or perform actions, exposing localStorage or sessionStorage and browser permissions granted to that origin. An alternative uses the verification response as an attacker-controlled same-origin script resource to bypass script-src 'self'; this can remain possible with application/octet-stream when MIME sniffing is allowed. Safe media typing and X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff are both needed to address the described scenarios. WebSub Rocks demonstrated reflection, but the advisory does not establish practical impact on that demonstration site.
- Record
CVE-2026-50571- CVSS 3.1
- 5.7 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-79
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| first indexed | CVE List, EUVD, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2026-50571 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 5.7) in W3c Websub, published October 27, 2026. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.23%, the 14th percentile. No source names a fixed version.