CVE-2026-48821
CWE-79Published: June 17, 2026· Updated: Jun 23, 2026
Official Description
Shaarli is a personal bookmarking service. Versions 0.16.1 and prior contain a DOM-based Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Thumbnail Synchronizer feature. When an administrator runs the thumbnail update process, malicious bookmark titles are returned via an AJAX response and inserted into the DOM using innerHTML without proper sanitization. The issue originates from the interaction between the backend thumbnail update endpoint and the frontend JavaScript responsible for rendering update progress. On the backend, the ThumbnailsController::ajaxUpdate method returns bookmark data formatted using the 'raw' formatter. This includes the unescaped bookmark title in the JSON response. On the client side, the script thumbnails-update.js processes this AJAX response and dynamically updates the progress interface. Administrators using the thumbnail synchronization feature are affected and exploitation could lead to session hijacking, privilege escalation, backdoor injection and full compromise. This issue has been fixed in version 0.16.2.
Technical Analysis
CVE-2026-48821 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.
Exploitation requires high privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.
A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), with a CVSS base score of 5.8.
From a weakness classification perspective (CWE-79): Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities allow attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users.
CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown
Exploit & PoC Resources
All References (3)
Quick Facts
Related CVEs (CWE-79)
Recommended Actions
- →Apply vendor patches immediately
- →Monitor CVE-2026-48821 in threat intel feeds
- →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts