GHSA-8GR3-5J6F-25GP

Vulnerability from github – Published: 2026-09-22 20:34 – Updated: 2026-09-22 20:34
VLAI
Summary
Novu: Stored XSS in In-App Inbox via notification redirect.url javascript: scheme
Details

Summary

The @novu/js In-App Inbox renderer passes a notification's redirect.url to window.open() with no URL-scheme validation. The value originates from a notification's call-to-action and is delivered to the recipient verbatim.

An authenticated organization member (or any holder of the environment API key) creates a v1 in-app workflow whose step CTA stores cta.data = { url: "javascript:<payload>", target: "_self" }. The v1 message-template cta.data field is a Mongoose Mixed type, so the arbitrary target key is accepted and persisted. The server-side inbox mapper copies cta.data.url and cta.data.target into the notification's redirect object with no scheme check. Novu's v2 control schema validates redirect URLs against redirectUrlRegex (which rejects javascript:), proving the intended invariant; the v1 path and the client renderer do not enforce it.

When the recipient clicks the notification, the inbox calls window.open(url, "_self", "noopener noreferrer"). In Chromium browsers a javascript: URL opened with target="_self" executes in the current document origin (the default _blank is browser-blocked, so the attacker sets _self).

Result: a low-privilege content author runs arbitrary JavaScript in the browser of every recipient who clicks, in the origin that hosts the inbox (the customer application or the self-hosted Novu dashboard, neither of which sends a CSP).

Affected

novuhq/novu self-hosted and cloud, API <= v3.15.0; @novu/js <= 3.15.0 and @novu/react (Inbox component). Confirmed live-exploitable on v3.15.0 (Docker community compose, default config, default roles). Condition: an in-app (Inbox) channel is in use, the standard product configuration. Recipient must use a Chromium-based browser (Chrome, Edge); the javascript: execution does not occur where the browser blocks javascript: in window.open.

Root cause

packages/js/src/ui/context/InboxContext.tsx:108: window.open(url, target ?? DEFAULT_TARGET, DEFAULT_REFERRER) is reached for any URL not starting with /, with no scheme allowlist, so javascript: is passed through. packages/js/src/ui/components/Notification/DefaultNotification.tsx:103: the notification click handler calls navigate(redirect.url, redirect.target), feeding the stored values into the sink. apps/api/src/app/inbox/utils/notification-mapper.ts:85-89: maps cta.data.url and cta.data.target into redirect with no validation of either field. libs/dal/src/repositories/message-template/message-template.schema.ts:41: data: Schema.Types.Mixed accepts the arbitrary target key (not present in the typed interface). libs/application-generic/src/usecases/compile-in-app-template/compile-in-app-template.usecase.ts:35-36: the v1 render path handlebars-compiles cta.data.url and performs no scheme check. libs/application-generic/src/schemas/control/in-app-control.schema.ts:24-27: the v2 control schema enforces url: z.string().regex(redirectUrlRegex) which rejects javascript:, the guard absent from the v1 path and the renderer.

Reproduction

novuhq/novu v3.15.0 Docker community compose, default config. Attacker holds an environment API key (or a member session); victim opens the inbox in Chromium.

  1. Create a v1 in-app workflow with a redirect CTA carrying a javascript: URL and target=_self:
POST /v1/workflows   Authorization: ApiKey <key>
{"name":"poc","notificationGroupId":"<ng>","active":true,
 "steps":[{"template":{"type":"in_app","content":"click me",
   "cta":{"type":"redirect","data":{
     "url":"javascript:window.top.__X=document.domain;void 0","target":"_self"}}}}]}
  1. Trigger it to a subscriber, then read the feed with a subscriber token minted from the public application identifier (no secret):
POST /v1/inbox/session {"applicationIdentifier":"<appId>","subscriberId":"<sub>"}
GET  /v1/inbox/notifications   Authorization: Bearer <subscriber-jwt>
-> redirect: {"url":"javascript:window.top.__X=document.domain;void 0","target":"_self"}
  1. The subscriber clicks the notification in the @novu/js / @novu/react Inbox.

Live-verified: the stored javascript: URL is returned verbatim by the inbox feed, and the exact shipped navigate() logic invoked from a real click runs window.open(url,"_self",...), executing the payload in the http://<dashboard>:4000 origin (no CSP); window.top.__X was set to the page origin. On the self-hosted dashboard the test inbox bell uses subscriberId = user.externalId (apps/dashboard/src/components/inbox-button.tsx:102), so a member targets another member's id and the executing payload reads localStorage['self-hosted-jwt'] (apps/dashboard/src/utils/self-hosted/jwt-manager.tsx:4), the dashboard session token.

Impact

  • Stored XSS in the recipient's browser, cross-principal (content author to end-user subscriber), persistent, replicated to every recipient of the workflow.
  • On the self-hosted dashboard origin (no CSP), theft of localStorage['self-hosted-jwt'] yields takeover of another member or admin account.
  • In a customer application embedding the inbox, session and token theft and authenticated actions in that origin.
  • Triggered by the lowest privilege that can author a workflow, default config, one recipient click.

Credit

Jan Kahmen, turingpoint (jan@turingpoint.de)

Show details on source website

{
  "affected": [
    {
      "database_specific": {
        "last_known_affected_version_range": "\u003c= 3.17.0"
      },
      "package": {
        "ecosystem": "npm",
        "name": "@novu/js"
      },
      "ranges": [
        {
          "events": [
            {
              "introduced": "0"
            },
            {
              "fixed": "3.18.0"
            }
          ],
          "type": "ECOSYSTEM"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "aliases": [
    "CVE-2026-75510"
  ],
  "database_specific": {
    "cwe_ids": [
      "CWE-79"
    ],
    "github_reviewed": true,
    "github_reviewed_at": "2026-09-22T20:34:35Z",
    "nvd_published_at": "2026-09-22T16:17:53Z",
    "severity": "MODERATE"
  },
  "details": "## Summary\n\nThe `@novu/js` In-App Inbox renderer passes a notification\u0027s `redirect.url` to `window.open()` with no URL-scheme validation. The value originates from a notification\u0027s call-to-action and is delivered to the recipient verbatim.\n\nAn authenticated organization member (or any holder of the environment API key) creates a v1 in-app workflow whose step CTA stores `cta.data = { url: \"javascript:\u003cpayload\u003e\", target: \"_self\" }`. The v1 message-template `cta.data` field is a Mongoose `Mixed` type, so the arbitrary `target` key is accepted and persisted. The server-side inbox mapper copies `cta.data.url` and `cta.data.target` into the notification\u0027s `redirect` object with no scheme check. Novu\u0027s v2 control schema validates redirect URLs against `redirectUrlRegex` (which rejects `javascript:`), proving the intended invariant; the v1 path and the client renderer do not enforce it.\n\nWhen the recipient clicks the notification, the inbox calls `window.open(url, \"_self\", \"noopener noreferrer\")`. In Chromium browsers a `javascript:` URL opened with `target=\"_self\"` executes in the current document origin (the default `_blank` is browser-blocked, so the attacker sets `_self`).\n\nResult: a low-privilege content author runs arbitrary JavaScript in the browser of every recipient who clicks, in the origin that hosts the inbox (the customer application or the self-hosted Novu dashboard, neither of which sends a CSP).\n\n## Affected\n\nnovuhq/novu self-hosted and cloud, API \u003c= v3.15.0; `@novu/js` \u003c= 3.15.0 and `@novu/react` (Inbox component). Confirmed live-exploitable on v3.15.0 (Docker community compose, default config, default roles).\nCondition: an in-app (Inbox) channel is in use, the standard product configuration.\nRecipient must use a Chromium-based browser (Chrome, Edge); the `javascript:` execution does not occur where the browser blocks `javascript:` in `window.open`.\n\n## Root cause\n\npackages/js/src/ui/context/InboxContext.tsx:108: `window.open(url, target ?? DEFAULT_TARGET, DEFAULT_REFERRER)` is reached for any URL not starting with `/`, with no scheme allowlist, so `javascript:` is passed through.\npackages/js/src/ui/components/Notification/DefaultNotification.tsx:103: the notification click handler calls `navigate(redirect.url, redirect.target)`, feeding the stored values into the sink.\napps/api/src/app/inbox/utils/notification-mapper.ts:85-89: maps `cta.data.url` and `cta.data.target` into `redirect` with no validation of either field.\nlibs/dal/src/repositories/message-template/message-template.schema.ts:41: `data: Schema.Types.Mixed` accepts the arbitrary `target` key (not present in the typed interface).\nlibs/application-generic/src/usecases/compile-in-app-template/compile-in-app-template.usecase.ts:35-36: the v1 render path handlebars-compiles `cta.data.url` and performs no scheme check.\nlibs/application-generic/src/schemas/control/in-app-control.schema.ts:24-27: the v2 control schema enforces `url: z.string().regex(redirectUrlRegex)` which rejects `javascript:`, the guard absent from the v1 path and the renderer.\n\n## Reproduction\n\nnovuhq/novu v3.15.0 Docker community compose, default config. Attacker holds an environment API key (or a member session); victim opens the inbox in Chromium.\n\n1. Create a v1 in-app workflow with a redirect CTA carrying a `javascript:` URL and `target=_self`:\n```\nPOST /v1/workflows   Authorization: ApiKey \u003ckey\u003e\n{\"name\":\"poc\",\"notificationGroupId\":\"\u003cng\u003e\",\"active\":true,\n \"steps\":[{\"template\":{\"type\":\"in_app\",\"content\":\"click me\",\n   \"cta\":{\"type\":\"redirect\",\"data\":{\n     \"url\":\"javascript:window.top.__X=document.domain;void 0\",\"target\":\"_self\"}}}}]}\n```\n2. Trigger it to a subscriber, then read the feed with a subscriber token minted from the public application identifier (no secret):\n```\nPOST /v1/inbox/session {\"applicationIdentifier\":\"\u003cappId\u003e\",\"subscriberId\":\"\u003csub\u003e\"}\nGET  /v1/inbox/notifications   Authorization: Bearer \u003csubscriber-jwt\u003e\n-\u003e redirect: {\"url\":\"javascript:window.top.__X=document.domain;void 0\",\"target\":\"_self\"}\n```\n3. The subscriber clicks the notification in the `@novu/js` / `@novu/react` Inbox.\n\nLive-verified: the stored `javascript:` URL is returned verbatim by the inbox feed, and the exact shipped `navigate()` logic invoked from a real click runs `window.open(url,\"_self\",...)`, executing the payload in the `http://\u003cdashboard\u003e:4000` origin (no CSP); `window.top.__X` was set to the page origin. On the self-hosted dashboard the test inbox bell uses `subscriberId = user.externalId` (apps/dashboard/src/components/inbox-button.tsx:102), so a member targets another member\u0027s id and the executing payload reads `localStorage[\u0027self-hosted-jwt\u0027]` (apps/dashboard/src/utils/self-hosted/jwt-manager.tsx:4), the dashboard session token.\n\n## Impact\n\n- Stored XSS in the recipient\u0027s browser, cross-principal (content author to end-user subscriber), persistent, replicated to every recipient of the workflow.\n- On the self-hosted dashboard origin (no CSP), theft of `localStorage[\u0027self-hosted-jwt\u0027]` yields takeover of another member or admin account.\n- In a customer application embedding the inbox, session and token theft and authenticated actions in that origin.\n- Triggered by the lowest privilege that can author a workflow, default config, one recipient click.\n\n## Credit\n\nJan Kahmen, [turingpoint](https://turingpoint.de) (jan@turingpoint.de)",
  "id": "GHSA-8gr3-5j6f-25gp",
  "modified": "2026-09-22T20:34:35Z",
  "published": "2026-09-22T20:34:35Z",
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/novuhq/novu/security/advisories/GHSA-8gr3-5j6f-25gp"
    },
    {
      "type": "ADVISORY",
      "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-75510"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/novuhq/novu/pull/11453"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/novuhq/novu/commit/f105f3d41a4405a75f803634d49f15a967524d8a"
    },
    {
      "type": "PACKAGE",
      "url": "https://github.com/novuhq/novu"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/novuhq/novu/releases/tag/v3.18.0"
    }
  ],
  "schema_version": "1.4.0",
  "severity": [
    {
      "score": "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:P/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:L/SI:L/SA:N",
      "type": "CVSS_V4"
    }
  ],
  "summary": "Novu: Stored XSS in In-App Inbox via notification redirect.url javascript: scheme"
}



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