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CVE-2024-53679· NVD / CVE Program· CNA apache

Apache VCL: XSS vulnerability in User Lookup impacting user privileges

Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in Apache VCL in the User Lookup form. A user with sufficient rights to be able to view this part of the site can craft a URL or be tricked in to clicking a URL that will give a specified user elevated rights. This issue affects all versions of Apache VCL through 2.5.1. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 2.5.2, which fixes the issue.

HighCVSS 8.4 · v4.0—No exploit Fix available

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Published
Mar 25, 2025
Updated
Jun 17, 2026
EPSS
0.5% · 42th percentile
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Report tools

JSON

Action score

33

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
33 / 40 · 8.4 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.5%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
partial

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
—
CNA · apache
8.4
NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/RE:M

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Affected systems

VendorProduct
apachevcl

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • apache vcl2.1 and later · before 2.5.2

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (apache). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • Apache Software Foundation Apache VCL

    • 2.1 and later · up to and including 2.5.1affected · semver

Same product

apache: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2013-0267The Privileges portion of the web GUI and the XMLRPC API in Apache VCL 2.3.x before 2.3.2, 2.2.x before 2.2.2 and 2.1 allow remote authentic
    36Monitor
  • CVE-2024-53678Apache VCL: SQL injection vulnerability in New Block Allocation form
    20Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
Apache Software Foundation Apache VCL2.5.2 · descriptionVendor (CNA)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
  • Administrator privileges are required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
Integrity
Availability
Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
High
User interaction
A
Scope
X

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-79 · Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')

CVSS vector

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:M/U:X

nvd-secondary

Root cause

User content is inserted into the page as HTML. The browser interprets the content as code rather than data.

The bug in code

The whole CWE-79 class

A representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.

Vulnerable

ts
commentEl.innerHTML = comment.body;

Fixed

ts
commentEl.textContent = comment.body;

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

ATT&CK techniques

—

Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

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References

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records