{"schema_version":"1.9.0","id":"GHSA-mhpg-c27v-6mxr","published":"2026-01-08T20:16:41Z","modified":"2026-07-07T17:57:37.927767983Z","aliases":["CVE-2026-21873","PYSEC-2026-1702"],"summary":"NiceGUI apps which use `ui.sub_pages` vulnerable to zero-click XSS","details":"### Summary\n\nAn unsafe implementation in the `pushstate` event listener used by `ui.sub_pages` allows an attacker to manipulate the fragment identifier of the URL, which _they can do despite being cross-site, using an iframe_. \n\n### Details\n\nThe problem is traced as follows:\n\n1. On `pushstate`, `handleStateEvent` is executed. \n\nhttps://github.com/zauberzeug/nicegui/blob/59fa9424c470f1b12c5d368985fa36e21fda706b/nicegui/elements/sub_pages.js#L38-L39\n\n2. `handleStateEvent` emits `sub_pages_open` event. \n\nhttps://github.com/zauberzeug/nicegui/blob/59fa9424c470f1b12c5d368985fa36e21fda706b/nicegui/elements/sub_pages.js#L22-L25 \n\n3. `SubPagesRouter` (used by `ui.sub_pages`), lisnening on `sub_pages_open`, `_handle_open` runs. \n\nhttps://github.com/zauberzeug/nicegui/blob/59fa9424c470f1b12c5d368985fa36e21fda706b/nicegui/sub_pages_router.py#L18-L22\n\n4. `_handle_open` finds any `SubPages` and runs `_show()` on them\n\nhttps://github.com/zauberzeug/nicegui/blob/59fa9424c470f1b12c5d368985fa36e21fda706b/nicegui/sub_pages_router.py#L63-L71\n\n5. If the if-logic is followed or debug prints are added, it can be found that it calls `self._handle_scrolling(match, behavior='smooth')` directly\n\nhttps://github.com/zauberzeug/nicegui/blob/59fa9424c470f1b12c5d368985fa36e21fda706b/nicegui/elements/sub_pages.py#L76-L100\n\n6. **CULPRIT** `_handle_scrolling` runs `_scroll_to_fragment` as there is a fragment, which runs vulnerable JS if the `fragment` (attacker-controlled) escapes out of the quotes. \n\nhttps://github.com/zauberzeug/nicegui/blob/59fa9424c470f1b12c5d368985fa36e21fda706b/nicegui/elements/sub_pages.py#L206-L217\n\n### PoC\n\nJust visiting this page (no click required), consistently triggers XSS in https://nicegui.io domain. \n\n```html\n<html>\n  <body>\n    <iframe id=\"myiframe\" src=\"https://nicegui.io\" width=\"100%\" height=\"600px\" onload=\"triggerXSS()\"></iframe>\n    <script>\n      function triggerXSS() {\n        if (!myiframe.src.includes(\"#\")) {\n          myiframe.src = \"https://nicegui.io#x');alert(document.domain)//\";\n        }\n      }\n    </script>\n  </body>\n</html>\n```\n\n<img width=\"1429\" height=\"643\" alt=\"image\" src=\"https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/310dbb5c-65d5-44f2-8417-dcf044829bc6\" />\n\n### Impact\n\nAny page which uses `ui.sub_pages` and does not actively prevent itself from being put in an iframe is affected.\n\nThe impact is high since by-default NiceGUI pages are iframe-embeddable with no native opt-out functionalities except by manipulating the underlying `app` via FastAPI methods, and that `ui.sub_pages` is actively promoted as the new modern way to create Single-Page Applications (SPA). \n\n### Patch\n\n1. Not use `ui.sub_pages`\n2. Block iframe with the following code\n\n```py\n@app.middleware('http')\nasync def iframe_blocking_middleware(request, call_next):\n    response = await call_next(request)\n    response.headers['X-Frame-Options'] = 'DENY'\n    return response\n```\n\n### Appendix\n\nAI is used safely to judge the CVSS scoring (input is censored).\n\nPlease find the results in https://poe.com/s/3FXuwp7TAYxqLomARXma\n\n### Scoring update after manual review\n\nThe scoring done by AI was quite biased. Upon further review it is less dramatic. \n\n- User Interaction **None**: There's _almost_ no interaction required, and none of the interaction is with the vulnerable system.\n- Confidentiality & Integrity **Low**: The extent of data confidentiality & integrity loss is bounded by the highest priviledged user in the entire NiceGUI application. There does not exist a means of performing data manipulating tasks that said admin cannot already do. \n- Availability **None**: No DDoS is possible with this. Site remains performant as ever.","affected":[{"package":{"name":"nicegui","ecosystem":"PyPI","purl":"pkg:pypi/nicegui"},"ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"2.22.0"},{"fixed":"3.5.0"}]}],"versions":["2.22.0","2.22.1","2.22.2","2.23.0","2.23.1","2.23.2","2.23.3","2.24.0","2.24.1","2.24.2","3.0.0","3.0.0rc1","3.0.1","3.0.2","3.0.3","3.0.4","3.1.0","3.2.0","3.3.0","3.3.1","3.4.0","3.4.1"],"database_specific":{"last_known_affected_version_range":"<= 3.4.1","source":"https://github.com/github/advisory-database/blob/main/advisories/github-reviewed/2026/01/GHSA-mhpg-c27v-6mxr/GHSA-mhpg-c27v-6mxr.json"}}],"references":[{"type":"WEB","url":"https://github.com/zauberzeug/nicegui/security/advisories/GHSA-mhpg-c27v-6mxr"},{"type":"ADVISORY","url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-21873"},{"type":"PACKAGE","url":"https://github.com/zauberzeug/nicegui"},{"type":"WEB","url":"https://github.com/zauberzeug/nicegui/releases/tag/v3.5.0"}],"database_specific":{"cwe_ids":["CWE-79"],"github_reviewed":true,"github_reviewed_at":"2026-01-08T20:16:41Z","nvd_published_at":"2026-01-08T10:15:55Z","severity":"HIGH"},"severity":[{"type":"CVSS_V3","score":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N"}]}