CVE-2026-112849 in Hostme Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 10/23/2026
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in AivahThemes Hostme v2 hostmev2 allows DOM-Based XSS.This issue affects Hostme v2: from n/a through 7.0.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/24/2026
The identified security flaw represents a classic instance of Cross-Site Scripting, specifically categorized under the Common Weakness Enumeration as CWE-83 for Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation. This vulnerability is classified as DOM-Based XSS, which distinguishes it from stored or reflected variants by relying on client-side script execution rather than server-side rendering flaws. In this specific context within AivahThemes Hostme version 2, the application fails to adequately sanitize user-supplied input before utilizing it in Dynamic HTML generation processes that manipulate the Document Object Model directly. The attack vector typically involves an attacker crafting a malicious URL or payload containing JavaScript code, which is then passed as part of the URI fragment or query parameters and subsequently processed by client-side scripts without proper validation.
From a technical perspective, the root cause lies in the application's failure to escape special characters such as angle brackets, quotes, and ampersands that hold syntactic significance within HTML and JavaScript contexts. When the browser parses the manipulated input, it interprets the injected script tags or event handlers as executable code rather than inert data. This allows an attacker to execute arbitrary scripts in the context of the victim's session. Because this is a DOM-based vulnerability, the malicious payload does not necessarily need to be stored on the server; instead, it relies on the victim interacting with a specially crafted link or input field that triggers the vulnerable client-side script logic. The flaw affects versions ranging from n/a through 7.0, indicating a persistent lack of remediation across multiple iterations of the software.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to its potential for session hijacking and data exfiltration. An attacker who successfully exploits this DOM-based XSS can steal sensitive information such as authentication cookies, session tokens, or personally identifiable information displayed on the page. Furthermore, the malicious script can perform actions on behalf of the victim, including changing account settings, making unauthorized transactions, or defacing the website interface. Since the attack occurs entirely within the browser environment, it bypasses many server-side security controls and logging mechanisms that might otherwise detect a traditional reflected XSS attempt. The trust relationship between the user and the web application is compromised, as users are likely to interact with links originating from trusted domains even if those links have been tampered with by an attacker via phishing or other social engineering tactics.
In terms of threat modeling, this vulnerability aligns with MITRE ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpretation: JavaScript within the browser environment. It facilitates initial access through user interaction and enables persistence if the injected script modifies local storage or cookies to maintain a foothold in subsequent sessions. The lack of input validation at the client side represents a significant deviation from secure coding practices, particularly regarding the handling of dynamic content injection into the DOM using methods like innerHTML without prior sanitization.
To mitigate this vulnerability, developers must implement strict output encoding and context-aware escaping for all data injected into HTML elements via JavaScript. Utilizing modern web frameworks that automatically handle XSS prevention can significantly reduce the risk. Additionally, implementing a Content Security Policy (CSP) is highly recommended to restrict the sources from which scripts can be loaded and executed, thereby neutralizing many inline script injection attempts even if they occur. Input validation should also be enforced on both client and server sides to ensure that only expected data formats are processed. Regular security audits and static code analysis tools configured to detect DOM-based XSS patterns will help identify similar flaws in future updates of the Hostme application.