CVE-2021-26540
MEDIUMCVE-2021-26540 is a medium-severity (CVSS 5.3) vulnerability in sanitize-html. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2021-26540 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Improper Input Validation in sanitize-html
Blast Radius
Weekly download volume for affected packages — a proxy for how broadly this vulnerability is deployed.
sanitize-htmlnpmDescription
Apostrophe Technologies sanitize-html before 2.3.2 does not properly validate the hostnames set by the "allowedIframeHostnames" option when the "allowIframeRelativeUrls" is set to true, which allows attackers to bypass hostname whitelist for iframe element, related using an src value that starts with "/\example.com".
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | sanitize-html | all versions | 2.3.2 |
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 sanitize-html. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update sanitize-html to 2.3.2 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2021-26540 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 pinpoints whether CVE-2021-26540 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to CVE-2021-26540. 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-2021-26540 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2021-26540 across npm dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.