CVE-2025-23026 is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.1) Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in gg.jte:jte. A fix is available for gg.jte:jte — see the affected versions and patch details below.
HTML templates containing Javascript template strings are subject to XSS in jte
Exploitation Status
Proof-of-concept exploit code exists
- CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2025-23026.
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-2025-23026 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
gg.jte:jte☕gg.jte:jte-runtimeReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Maven packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Summary
Jte HTML templates with script tags or script attributes that include a Javascript template string (backticks) are subject to XSS.
Details
The javaScriptBlock and javaScriptAttribute methods in the Escape class (source) do not escape backticks, which are used for Javascript template strings. Dollar signs in template strings should also be escaped as well to prevent undesired interpolation.
PoC
- Use the Jte Gradle Plugin with the following code in
src/jte/xss.jte:@param String someMessage <!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en"> <head> <title>XSS Test</title> <script>window.someVariable = `${someMessage}`;</script> </head> <body> <h1>XSS Test</h1> </body> </html> - Use the following Java code to demonstrate the XSS vulnerability:
final StringOutput output = new StringOutput(); JtexssGenerated.render(new OwaspHtmlTemplateOutput(output), null, "` + alert(`xss`) + `"); renderHtml(output);
Impact
HTML templates rendered by Jte's OwaspHtmlTemplateOutput in versions less than or equal to 3.1.15 with script tags or script attributes that contain Javascript template strings (backticks) are vulnerable.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | gg.jte:jte | all versions | 3.1.16gg.jte:jte:3.1.16 |
| ☕Maven | gg.jte:jte-runtime | all versions | 3.1.16gg.jte:jte-runtime:3.1.16 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for gg.jte:jte, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update gg.jte:jte to 3.1.16 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2025-23026 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-2025-23026 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2025-23026. 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-2025-23026 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2025-23026 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.