express vulnerable to XSS via response.redirect()
Impact
In express <4.20.0, passing untrusted user input - even after sanitizing it - to response.redirect() may execute untrusted code
Patches
this issue is patched in express 4.20.0
Workarounds
users are encouraged to upgrade to the patched version of express, but otherwise can workaround this issue by making sure any untrusted inputs are safe, ideally by validating them against an explicit allowlist
Details
successful exploitation of this vector requires the following:
- The attacker MUST control the input to response.redirect()
- express MUST NOT redirect before the template appears
- the browser MUST NOT complete redirection before:
- the user MUST click on the link in the template
Affected software
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| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| npm package | express | < 4.20.0, >= 5.0.0-alpha.1, < 5.0.0 | 4.20.0, 5.0.0 |
References
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-79- Platform
- npm
- Package
express- Disclosed
- 10.09.2024
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 10:22
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-qw6h-vgh9-j6wx - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: express
All published vulnerabilities of this package (npm package), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 5
- First → latest
- 10.2018 10.2024
- Without a fix
- 0
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- Medium 3
- Low 2
Disclosures per year
- 2018: 1
- 2019: 0
- 2020: 0
- 2021: 0
- 2022: 0
- 2023: 0
- 2024: 4
- 2025: 0
- 2026: 0
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