CVE-2026-57214 in RabbitMQ
Summary
by MITRE • 07/10/2026
RabbitMQ is a messaging and streaming broker. Prior to 4.2.5, the RabbitMQ management UI renders the x-internal-purpose queue or exchange argument into an HTML title attribute without proper escaping on the Queues and Exchanges pages, allowing a user with permission to declare a queue or exchange to execute JavaScript in another user's browser. This issue is fixed in version 4.2.5.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/10/2026
The vulnerability identified in RabbitMQ versions prior to 4.2.5 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw that exploits the management UI's improper handling of user-supplied data within HTML attributes. This security weakness specifically affects the Queues and Exchanges pages where the system renders the x-internal-purpose queue or exchange argument into an HTML title attribute without adequate input sanitization or output encoding. The flaw stems from a failure to properly escape special characters in user-provided metadata, creating an avenue for malicious actors to inject JavaScript code that executes within the context of other users' browser sessions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when an authenticated user with sufficient permissions to declare queues or exchanges creates objects with malicious x-internal-purpose arguments containing script payloads. These arguments are then rendered directly into HTML title attributes on the management interface without proper HTML escaping, allowing the JavaScript code to execute when users interact with these UI elements. The attack vector leverages the principle of stored cross-site scripting where the malicious payload is persisted in the system and executed whenever other users view the affected pages.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to RabbitMQ deployments as it enables attackers to exploit legitimate user sessions through social engineering or by compromising accounts with queue/exchange declaration privileges. The impact extends beyond simple data theft to potentially allow full account takeover, privilege escalation, and lateral movement within the messaging infrastructure. Attackers could execute malicious scripts that steal session cookies, redirect users to phishing sites, or perform unauthorized operations on behalf of other users.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 Cross-site Scripting and maps to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for Initial Access through Spearphishing Attachment, where attackers might exploit this weakness to establish persistent access. The fix implemented in version 4.2.5 addresses the root cause by ensuring proper HTML escaping of all user-provided arguments before rendering them in UI elements, particularly title attributes. Organizations should immediately upgrade their RabbitMQ installations to version 4.2.5 or later and conduct thorough security assessments of their messaging infrastructure. Additionally, implementing network segmentation, role-based access controls, and monitoring for suspicious queue/exchange declarations can provide additional defense-in-depth measures against exploitation attempts.