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CVE-2026-73490

Loofah: SVG `href` attribute bypasses local-reference restriction

4.7 MediumFix available

Loofah is a general library for manipulating and transforming HTML/XML documents and fragments, built on top of Nokogiri. Prior to 2.25.2, Loofah's HTML5 sanitizer applies its local-reference restriction only to the xlink:href attribute on SVG use and feImage elements, while browsers also accept the plain href attribute. A crafted sanitized SVG can therefore reference an arbitrary same-origin external document; use may render external SVG content containing scripts or other dangerous content, and feImage may load external images for tracking. Applications that sanitize user-supplied SVG with Loofah's default allowlist are affected. This issue is fixed in version 2.25.2.

Attack profile

How easy it is to exploit

Attack vector
Network
Complexity
High
Privileges needed
None
User interaction
Required

What an attacker can affect

Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

Exploit likelihood

0.30%Up 0.1 points since Aug 13, 2026
90%50%10%1%

What each source reports

CVE List Score used 4.7

Loofah: SVG `href` attribute bypasses local-reference restriction

Loofah is a general library for manipulating and transforming HTML/XML documents and fragments, built on top of Nokogiri. Prior to 2.25.2, Loofah's HTML5 sanitizer applies its local-reference restriction only to the xlink:href attribute on SVG use and feImage elements, while browsers also accept the plain href attribute. A crafted sanitized SVG can therefore reference an arbitrary same-origin external document; use may render external SVG content containing scripts or other dangerous content, and feImage may load external images for tracking. Applications that sanitize user-supplied SVG with Loofah's default allowlist are affected. This issue is fixed in version 2.25.2.

Record
CVE-2026-73490
CVSS 3.1
4.7 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Weakness
CWE-79
Updated
2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2026-57626 4.7

Loofah is a general library for manipulating and transforming HTML/XML documents and fragments, built on top of Nokogiri. Prior to 2.25.2, Loofah's HTML5 sanitizer applies its local-reference restriction only to the xlink:href attribute on SVG use and feImage elements, while browsers also accept the plain href attribute. A crafted sanitized SVG can therefore reference an arbitrary same-origin external document; use may render external SVG content containing scripts or other dangerous content, and feImage may load external images for tracking. Applications that sanitize user-supplied SVG with Loofah's default allowlist are affected. This issue is fixed in version 2.25.2.

Record
EUVD-2026-57626
CVSS 3.1
4.7 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Updated
2026-11-02
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-9wjq-cp2p-hrgf 4.7

Loofah: SVG `href` attribute bypasses local-reference restriction

Summary

Loofah's HTML5 sanitizer restricted only the xlink:href attribute on certain SVG elements to local, same-document references. Browsers also accept a plain href attribute as an alternative to the deprecated xlink:href per the SVG 2 spec, but Loofah did not apply the same restriction to it, allowing those elements to reference arbitrary external documents.

Impact

SVG <use> can load and render external SVG content by reference. If the referenced external SVG is same-origin and contains scripts or other dangerous content, it could execute in the context of the sanitized document. <feImage> can load external images, which can be used for tracking. Modern browsers restrict cross-origin <use> fetches, which limits but does not eliminate the risk.

Applications that sanitize user-supplied SVG (directly, or as part of HTML) with Loofah's default allowlist are affected.

Mitigation

Upgrade to Loofah >= 2.25.2.

Credit

Found by the maintainer, Mike Dalessio, during a security audit.

Record
GHSA-9wjq-cp2p-hrgf
CVSS 3.1
4.7 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Weakness
CWE-79
Updated
2026-11-02
NVD 4.7

Loofah is a general library for manipulating and transforming HTML/XML documents and fragments, built on top of Nokogiri. Prior to 2.25.2, Loofah's HTML5 sanitizer applies its local-reference restriction only to the xlink:href attribute on SVG use and feImage elements, while browsers also accept the plain href attribute. A crafted sanitized SVG can therefore reference an arbitrary same-origin external document; use may render external SVG content containing scripts or other dangerous content, and feImage may load external images for tracking. Applications that sanitize user-supplied SVG with Loofah's default allowlist are affected. This issue is fixed in version 2.25.2.

Record
CVE-2026-73490
CVSS 3.1
4.7 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Weakness
CWE-79
Updated
2026-11-02
OSV 4.7

Loofah: SVG `href` attribute bypasses local-reference restriction

Loofah is a general library for manipulating and transforming HTML/XML documents and fragments, built on top of Nokogiri. Prior to 2.25.2, Loofah's HTML5 sanitizer applies its local-reference restriction only to the xlink:href attribute on SVG use and feImage elements, while browsers also accept the plain href attribute. A crafted sanitized SVG can therefore reference an arbitrary same-origin external document; use may render external SVG content containing scripts or other dangerous content, and feImage may load external images for tracking. Applications that sanitize user-supplied SVG with Loofah's default allowlist are affected. This issue is fixed in version 2.25.2.

Record
CVE-2026-73490
CVSS 3.1
4.7 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Weakness
CWE-79
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2026-73490 4.7

Loofah is a general library for manipulating and transforming HTML/XML documents and fragments, built on top of Nokogiri. Prior to 2.25.2, Loofah's HTML5 sanitizer applies its local-reference restriction only to the xlink:href attribute on SVG use and feImage elements, while browsers also accept the plain href attribute. A crafted sanitized SVG can therefore reference an arbitrary same-origin external document; use may render external SVG content containing scripts or other dangerous content, and feImage may load external images for tracking. Applications that sanitize user-supplied SVG with Loofah's default allowlist are affected. This issue is fixed in version 2.25.2.

Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2026-73490
CVSS 3.1
4.7 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Updated
2026-11-02
Show 6 moreShow less
OSVGHSA-9wjq-cp2p-hrgf 4.7

Loofah: SVG `href` attribute bypasses local-reference restriction

Summary

Loofah's HTML5 sanitizer restricted only the xlink:href attribute on certain SVG elements to local, same-document references. Browsers also accept a plain href attribute as an alternative to the deprecated xlink:href per the SVG 2 spec, but Loofah did not apply the same restriction to it, allowing those elements to reference arbitrary external documents.

Impact

SVG <use> can load and render external SVG content by reference. If the referenced external SVG is same-origin and contains scripts or other dangerous content, it could execute in the context of the sanitized document. <feImage> can load external images, which can be used for tracking. Modern browsers restrict cross-origin <use> fetches, which limits but does not eliminate the risk.

Applications that sanitize user-supplied SVG (directly, or as part of HTML) with Loofah's default allowlist are affected.

Mitigation

Upgrade to Loofah >= 2.25.2.

Credit

Found by the maintainer, Mike Dalessio, during a security audit.

Record
GHSA-9wjq-cp2p-hrgf
CVSS 3.1
4.7 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Weakness
CWE-79
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2026-73490 4.7

Loofah is a general library for manipulating and transforming HTML/XML documents and fragments, built on top of Nokogiri. Prior to 2.25.2, Loofah's HTML5 sanitizer applies its local-reference restriction only to the xlink:href attribute on SVG use and feImage elements, while browsers also accept the plain href attribute. A crafted sanitized SVG can therefore reference an arbitrary same-origin external document; use may render external SVG content containing scripts or other dangerous content, and feImage may load external images for tracking. Applications that sanitize user-supplied SVG with Loofah's default allowlist are affected. This issue is fixed in version 2.25.2.

Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2026-73490
CVSS 3.1
4.7 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVopenSUSE-SU-2026:12153-1 No score

hawk2-2.7.2+git.1792148770.648dcddb-1.1 on GA media

These are all security issues fixed in the hawk2-2.7.2+git.1792148770.648dcddb-1.1 package on the GA media of openSUSE Tumbleweed.

Record
openSUSE-SU-2026:12153-1
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVopenSUSE-SU-2026:22068-1 No score

Security update for hawk2

This update for hawk2 fixes the following issues:

  • CVE-2026-42246: net-imap: MITM attacker can cause Net::IMAP#starttls to return successfully, without starting TLS (bsc#1268996).
  • CVE-2026-66066: unsafe image processing operations on untrusted uploads can allow arbitrary file reading and remote code execution (bsc#1273348).
  • CVE-2026-71847: json: heap use-after free in JSON::ResumableParser partial_value can lead to crash on truncated duplicate-key streams (bsc#1275213).
  • CVE-2026-73490: loofah: improper handling of SVG attributes in the HTML5 sanitizer allows bypass of local-reference restrictions (bsc#1275179).
  • CVE-2026-73491: loofah: improper handling of javascript: URIs can lead to XSS (bsc#1275183).
  • CVE-2026-73492: loofah: improper handling of javascript: and vbscript: URIs can lead to XSS (bsc#1275188).
  • CVE-2026-73648: rails-html-sanitizer: cross-site scripting is possible when the sanitizer is configured to allow certain SVG reference elements (bsc#1275200).

Changes for hawk2:

  • Update to version 2.7.2+git.1788518533.7d4dadd6 (bsc#1275019):
  • Test: give sle15 more time when choosing between sle15 and sle16
  • Dev: bump jQuery version to 4.0.0
  • Dev: bump jQuery version to 3.5.0
  • Dev: bump jQuery version to 2.2.4
  • Test: update the e2e test for the change allowing custom parameters
  • Dev: enable custom Parameters and Meta Attributes (bsc#1274860)
  • CI/CD: update hawk examiner entry point
  • Test: enable test_add_clone against hawk-apiserver verion 0.2.1
  • Test: fix SyntaxWarning: invalid escape sequence '|'
  • Test: make the tests compatible against hawk-apiserver ver0.2.0
Record
openSUSE-SU-2026:22068-1
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVSUSE-SU-2026:24195-1 No score

Security update for hawk2

This update for hawk2 fixes the following issues:

  • CVE-2026-42246: net-imap: MITM attacker can cause Net::IMAP#starttls to return successfully, without starting TLS (bsc#1268996).
  • CVE-2026-66066: unsafe image processing operations on untrusted uploads can allow arbitrary file reading and remote code execution (bsc#1273348).
  • CVE-2026-71847: json: heap use-after free in JSON::ResumableParser partial_value can lead to crash on truncated duplicate-key streams (bsc#1275213).
  • CVE-2026-73490: loofah: improper handling of SVG attributes in the HTML5 sanitizer allows bypass of local-reference restrictions (bsc#1275179).
  • CVE-2026-73491: loofah: improper handling of javascript: URIs can lead to XSS (bsc#1275183).
  • CVE-2026-73492: loofah: improper handling of javascript: and vbscript: URIs can lead to XSS (bsc#1275188).
  • CVE-2026-73648: rails-html-sanitizer: cross-site scripting is possible when the sanitizer is configured to allow certain SVG reference elements (bsc#1275200).

Changes for hawk2:

  • Update to version 2.7.2+git.1788518533.7d4dadd6 (bsc#1275019):
  • Test: give sle15 more time when choosing between sle15 and sle16
  • Dev: bump jQuery version to 4.0.0
  • Dev: bump jQuery version to 3.5.0
  • Dev: bump jQuery version to 2.2.4
  • Test: update the e2e test for the change allowing custom parameters
  • Dev: enable custom Parameters and Meta Attributes (bsc#1274860)
  • CI/CD: update hawk examiner entry point
  • Test: enable test_add_clone against hawk-apiserver verion 0.2.1
  • Test: fix SyntaxWarning: invalid escape sequence '|'
  • Test: make the tests compatible against hawk-apiserver ver0.2.0
Record
SUSE-SU-2026:24195-1
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVSUSE-SU-2026:24250-1 No score

Security update for hawk2

This update for hawk2 fixes the following issues:

  • CVE-2026-42246: net-imap: MITM attacker can cause Net::IMAP#starttls to return successfully, without starting TLS (bsc#1268996).
  • CVE-2026-66066: unsafe image processing operations on untrusted uploads can allow arbitrary file reading and remote code execution (bsc#1273348).
  • CVE-2026-71847: json: heap use-after free in JSON::ResumableParser partial_value can lead to crash on truncated duplicate-key streams (bsc#1275213).
  • CVE-2026-73490: loofah: improper handling of SVG attributes in the HTML5 sanitizer allows bypass of local-reference restrictions (bsc#1275179).
  • CVE-2026-73491: loofah: improper handling of javascript: URIs can lead to XSS (bsc#1275183).
  • CVE-2026-73492: loofah: improper handling of javascript: and vbscript: URIs can lead to XSS (bsc#1275188).
  • CVE-2026-73648: rails-html-sanitizer: cross-site scripting is possible when the sanitizer is configured to allow certain SVG reference elements (bsc#1275200).

Changes for hawk2:

  • Update to version 2.7.2+git.1788518533.7d4dadd6 (bsc#1275019):
  • Test: give sle15 more time when choosing between sle15 and sle16
  • Dev: bump jQuery version to 4.0.0
  • Dev: bump jQuery version to 3.5.0
  • Dev: bump jQuery version to 2.2.4
  • Test: update the e2e test for the change allowing custom parameters
  • Dev: enable custom Parameters and Meta Attributes (bsc#1274860)
  • CI/CD: update hawk examiner entry point
  • Test: enable test_add_clone against hawk-apiserver verion 0.2.1
  • Test: fix SyntaxWarning: invalid escape sequence '|'
  • Test: make the tests compatible against hawk-apiserver ver0.2.0
Record
SUSE-SU-2026:24250-1
Updated
2026-11-02

Affected products

Affected packages

Affected packages
PackageAffectedFixed
loofah
RubyGems
 before 2.25.2
2.25.2
ruby-loofah
Debian:12
 All versions, plus listed versions
2.19.1-12.20.0-12.21.3-12.21.4-12.22.0-1
Show 6 moreShow less
2.24.0-12.24.1-12.25.0-12.25.1-12.25.1-22.25.2-1
 None known
ruby-loofah
Debian:13
 All versions, plus listed versions
2.24.0-12.24.1-12.25.0-12.25.1-12.25.1-22.25.2-1
 None known
ruby-loofah
Debian:14
 before 2.25.2-1, plus listed versions
2.24.0-12.24.1-12.25.0-12.25.1-12.25.1-2
2.25.2-1
loofah
RubyGems
 before 2.25.2, plus listed versions
0.2.00.2.10.2.20.3.00.3.1
Show 45 moreShow less
0.4.00.4.10.4.20.4.30.4.40.4.50.4.60.4.71.0.01.0.0.beta.11.1.01.2.01.2.12.0.02.0.12.0.22.0.32.1.02.1.0.rc12.1.0.rc22.1.12.10.02.11.02.12.02.13.02.14.02.15.02.16.02.17.02.18.02.19.02.19.12.2.02.2.12.2.22.2.32.20.02.21.02.21.0.rc12.21.12.21.22.21.32.21.42.22.02.23.0
2.25.2
hawk2
SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 16.0
From an advisory covering 7 CVEs
 before 2.7.2+git.1788518533.7d4dadd6-160000.1.1
2.7.2+git.1788518533.7d4dadd6-160000.1.1
hawk2
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications 16.0
From an advisory covering 7 CVEs
 before 2.7.2+git.1788518533.7d4dadd6-160000.1.1
2.7.2+git.1788518533.7d4dadd6-160000.1.1
ruby-loofah
Ubuntu:16.04:LTS
 All versions, plus listed versions
2.0.2-12.0.3-12.0.3-22.0.3-2+deb9u1build0.16.04.12.0.3-2+deb9u2build0.16.04.12.0.3-2+deb9u3build0.16.04.1
 None known
ruby-loofah
Ubuntu:18.04:LTS
 All versions, plus listed versions
2.0.3-22.2.2-1
 None known
ruby-loofah
Ubuntu:20.04:LTS
 All versions, plus listed versions
2.2.3-12.3.1+dfsg-12.4.0+dfsg-1
 None known
Show 6 moreShow less
Affected packages
PackageAffectedFixed
ruby-loofah
Ubuntu:22.04:LTS
 All versions, plus listed versions
2.12.0-12.13.0-12.13.0-2
 None known
ruby-loofah
Ubuntu:24.04:LTS
 All versions, plus listed versions
2.21.3-12.21.4-12.22.0-1
 None known
ruby-loofah
Ubuntu:26.10
 All versions, plus listed versions
2.25.0-12.25.1-22.25.2-1
 None known
ruby-loofah
Ubuntu:26.04:LTS
 All versions, plus listed versions
2.24.1-12.25.0-1
 None known
hawk2
openSUSE:Tumbleweed
From an advisory covering 7 CVEs
 before 2.7.2+git.1792148770.648dcddb-1.1
2.7.2+git.1792148770.648dcddb-1.1
hawk2
openSUSE:Leap 16.0
From an advisory covering 7 CVEs
 before 2.7.2+git.1788518533.7d4dadd6-160000.1.1
2.7.2+git.1788518533.7d4dadd6-160000.1.1

History

History
RecordedChangedSources
affected, facts
first indexedCVE List, EUVD, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV

Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.

In short

CVE-2026-73490 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 4.7) in Flavorjones Loofah, published July 21, 2026. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.30%, the 22nd percentile. Fixed in loofah 2.25.2.

References

Show 23 moreShow less
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Left out here: 14 versions. The JSON record has them.

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