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CVE-2026-73490 — Vulnerability in loofah — CVE Details

MEDIUM

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

Published July 21, 2026Updated September 10, 2026Source: osv

Summary

## 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.

Advisory Timeline

  • First published July 21, 2026 (82 days ago).
  • Last revised September 10, 2026 — 50 days after initial publication.

Remediation

Upgrade to the fixed version using your package manager.

Bundler
Update loofah to 2.25.2 or later
gem install loofah -v 2.25.2

After upgrading, run your dependency scanner again to confirm the vulnerability is resolved.

Affected Packages (1)

Affects 1 ecosystem: rubygems (1).

PackageEcosystemAffectedFixed In
loofah
rubygems
0.2.0, 0.2.1, 0.2.2, 0.3.0 (+60 more)2.25.2

Vulnerability Classification

Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) identifiers for this vulnerability type.

  • CWE-79
    Cross-site Scripting (XSS)MITRE

CVSS Score Breakdown

What the CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) 4.7 score means for each attack dimension.

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
High
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-73490?
Loofah: SVG `href` attribute bypasses local-reference restriction This vulnerability has been assigned a severity rating of MEDIUM (CVSS score: 4.7/10).
How do I check if my project is affected by CVE-2026-73490?
CVE-2026-73490 affects loofah. Use GeekWala's free vulnerability scanner to check your dependencies against CVE-2026-73490 and 200,000+ other known vulnerabilities.

Severity & Exploitability

CVSS Score
4.7

Exploitation requires specific conditions or has limited impact. Remediate within weeks.

Also Known As

GHSA-9wjq-cp2p-hrgf

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