CVE-2026-66390 in Wicket
Summary
by MITRE • 07/27/2026
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in Apache Wicket.
This issue affects Apache Wicket: from 9.0.0 through 9.23.0, from 10.0.0 through 10.9.0.
Users are recommended to upgrade to version 10.10.0, which fixes the issue.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/27/2026
The vulnerability in Apache Wicket represents a critical cross-site scripting weakness that exploits improper input neutralization during web page generation processes. This flaw allows malicious actors to inject arbitrary script code into web applications built on the Wicket framework, potentially compromising user sessions and data integrity. The vulnerability manifests specifically within the framework's handling of user-provided input that gets rendered into web pages without adequate sanitization or encoding mechanisms.
The technical implementation of this weakness stems from insufficient validation and encoding of user-supplied data within Wicket's component rendering pipeline. When developers incorporate untrusted input directly into web page elements, the framework fails to properly escape or sanitize special characters that could be interpreted as executable script code by web browsers. This vulnerability affects multiple version ranges including 9.0.0 through 9.23.0 and 10.0.0 through 10.9.0, indicating a widespread issue across the framework's architecture that has persisted through several major releases.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to web applications utilizing Apache Wicket since it enables attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of affected users' browsers. Attackers can leverage this weakness to steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of users, redirect victims to malicious sites, or extract sensitive information from web applications. The impact extends beyond simple data theft as it can facilitate more sophisticated attacks including privilege escalation and persistent backdoor establishment within compromised applications.
The remediation strategy centers on upgrading to Apache Wicket version 10.10.0 which implements proper input sanitization and encoding mechanisms. Organizations should prioritize this upgrade as a critical security measure, particularly for applications handling sensitive user data or operating in threat environments. Additionally, defensive coding practices should be enforced throughout the application development lifecycle, including comprehensive input validation, output encoding, and adherence to secure programming principles that align with CWE-79 standards for cross-site scripting prevention.
Security teams should implement continuous monitoring of their Wicket-based applications to detect potential exploitation attempts and maintain awareness of related attack patterns documented in ATT&CK framework under web application attacks. The vulnerability demonstrates how framework-level security issues can cascade into broader organizational risks, emphasizing the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and conducting regular security assessments of web application components.