ubuntu-cve-2026-78689
Vulnerability from osv_ubuntu
Description NGINX JavaScript (njs) has a vulnerability in the XML module's namespace prefix list parser, reachable through the xml.exclusiveC14n() method. An unauthenticated remote attacker can trigger it when an affected NGINX configuration passes an externally controlled XML namespace prefix list to that method. Both the njs and the QuickJS (qjs) engines are affected. A crafted prefix list causes an out-of-bounds write past the end of a heap allocation. With the njs engine, which is the engine used when the js_engine directive is absent, this corrupts adjacent objects and crashes the NGINX worker. With the QuickJS engine, the same call additionally leaks the prefix list on every invocation, causing worker memory to grow across requests. The official nginxinc/nginx-saml reference implementation is affected during SAML signature verification. It reads InclusiveNamespaces/@PrefixList from an untrusted SAML message and passes it to xml.exclusiveC14n() before the signature has been verified, so a valid SAML signature is not required. A crafted SAML Response, Assertion, LogoutRequest, or LogoutResponse is sufficient. Code execution has not been demonstrated and cannot be ruled out for all platforms, as the effect of the out-of-bounds write depends on conditions beyond the attacker's control. Impact This vulnerability allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service on the NGINX system, either through repeatable worker restarts or through worker memory growth or possibly trigger code execution. There is no control plane exposure; this is a data plane issue only. Note: Software versions which have reached End of Technical Support (EoTS) are not evaluated.
{
"affected": [
{
"ecosystem_specific": {
"binaries": [
{
"binary_name": "libnginx-mod-http-js",
"binary_version": "0.8.2-1ubuntu1"
},
{
"binary_name": "libnginx-mod-stream-js",
"binary_version": "0.8.2-1ubuntu1"
},
{
"binary_name": "njs",
"binary_version": "0.8.2-1ubuntu1"
}
]
},
"package": {
"ecosystem": "Ubuntu:24.04:LTS",
"name": "libnginx-mod-js",
"purl": "pkg:deb/ubuntu/libnginx-mod-js@0.8.2-1ubuntu1?arch=source\u0026distro=noble"
},
"ranges": [
{
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
}
],
"type": "ECOSYSTEM"
}
],
"versions": [
"0.7.12-2",
"0.8.2-1ubuntu1"
]
},
{
"ecosystem_specific": {
"binaries": [
{
"binary_name": "libnginx-mod-http-js",
"binary_version": "0.9.4-1ubuntu0.1~esm1"
},
{
"binary_name": "libnginx-mod-stream-js",
"binary_version": "0.9.4-1ubuntu0.1~esm1"
},
{
"binary_name": "njs",
"binary_version": "0.9.4-1ubuntu0.1~esm1"
}
]
},
"package": {
"ecosystem": "Ubuntu:Pro:26.04:LTS",
"name": "libnginx-mod-js",
"purl": "pkg:deb/ubuntu/libnginx-mod-js@0.9.4-1ubuntu0.1~esm1?arch=source\u0026distro=esm-apps/resolute"
},
"ranges": [
{
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
}
],
"type": "ECOSYSTEM"
}
],
"versions": [
"0.9.1-1ubuntu2",
"0.9.1-1ubuntu3",
"0.9.4-1~build1",
"0.9.4-1",
"0.9.4-1build1",
"0.9.4-1build2",
"0.9.4-1ubuntu0.1~esm1"
]
}
],
"aliases": [],
"details": "Description NGINX JavaScript (njs) has a vulnerability in the XML module\u0027s namespace prefix list parser, reachable through the xml.exclusiveC14n() method. An unauthenticated remote attacker can trigger it when an affected NGINX configuration passes an externally controlled XML namespace prefix list to that method. Both the njs and the QuickJS (qjs) engines are affected. A crafted prefix list causes an out-of-bounds write past the end of a heap allocation. With the njs engine, which is the engine used when the js_engine directive is absent, this corrupts adjacent objects and crashes the NGINX worker. With the QuickJS engine, the same call additionally leaks the prefix list on every invocation, causing worker memory to grow across requests. The official nginxinc/nginx-saml reference implementation is affected during SAML signature verification. It reads InclusiveNamespaces/@PrefixList from an untrusted SAML message and passes it to xml.exclusiveC14n() before the signature has been verified, so a valid SAML signature is not required. A crafted SAML Response, Assertion, LogoutRequest, or LogoutResponse is sufficient. Code execution has not been demonstrated and cannot be ruled out for all platforms, as the effect of the out-of-bounds write depends on conditions beyond the attacker\u0027s control. Impact This vulnerability allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service on the NGINX system, either through repeatable worker restarts or through worker memory growth or possibly trigger code execution. There is no control plane exposure; this is a data plane issue only. Note: Software versions which have reached End of Technical Support (EoTS) are not evaluated.",
"id": "UBUNTU-CVE-2026-78689",
"modified": "2026-09-03T00:00:00Z",
"published": "2026-09-03T00:00:00Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "REPORT",
"url": "https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-78689"
},
{
"type": "REPORT",
"url": "https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-78689"
},
{
"type": "REPORT",
"url": "https://my.f5.com/manage/s/article/K000162602"
}
],
"related": [],
"schema_version": "1.7.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
},
{
"score": "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N",
"type": "CVSS_V4"
},
{
"score": "medium",
"type": "Ubuntu"
}
],
"upstream": [
"CVE-2026-78689"
]
}
Sightings
| Author | Source | Type | Date | Other |
|---|
Nomenclature
- Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or observed by the user.
- Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
- Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
- Exploited: The vulnerability was observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
- Patched: The vulnerability was observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
- Not exploited: The vulnerability was not observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
- Not confirmed: The user expressed doubt about the validity of the vulnerability.
- Not patched: The vulnerability was not observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
The approach is described in our paper Mapping CVEs to MITRE ATT&CK Techniques: A Curated Gold-Set Classifier and the Limits of LLM-Assisted Label Expansion.