CVE-2014-9772 — validator
MEDIUMCVE-2014-9772 is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.1) Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in validator. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for validator — see the affected versions and patch details below.
XSS Filter Bypass via Encoded URL in validator
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2014-9772 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 377,636 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, and reverse-dependency count shows how many other packages break if it stays unpatched.
validatornpmDescription
Versions of validator prior to 2.0.0 contained an xss filter method that is affected by several filter bypasses. This may result in a cross-site scripting vulnerability.
Proof of Concept
The xss() function removes the word "javascript" when contained inside an attribute.
However, it does not properly handle cases where characters have been hex-encoded.
As a result, it is possible to build an input that bypasses the filter but which the browser will accept as valid JavaScript.
For example:
<a href="javascript:...">abc</a>
will render as:
<a href="javascript:...">abc</a>
Recommendation
The package author has decided to remove the xss filter functionality in the latest version of this module. If this feature is not currently being used, you are not affected by the vulnerability. If it is being used, updating to the latest version of the module will break your application.
In order for affected users to mitigate this vulnerability, it is necessary to use an alternative package that provides similar functionality.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | validator | all versions | 2.0.0npm install validator@2.0.0 |
Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for validator, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update validator to 2.0.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2014-9772 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2014-9772 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2014-9772. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2014-9772 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2014-9772 across npm dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.