CVE-2026-22704

HAX CMS: Headless Authoring, Headless Admins

Amit Schendel
Amit Schendel
Senior Security Researcher

Jan 13, 2026·5 min read·5 visits

Executive Summary (TL;DR)

HAX CMS allowed users to upload arbitrary HTML files which were served from the same origin as the admin panel. By tricking an admin into opening a malicious file, an attacker could abuse the Same-Origin Policy to steal JWTs via the `haxcms_refresh_token` cookie. Fixed in v25.0.0 by forcing downloads for HTML files.

A high-severity Stored XSS vulnerability in HAX CMS allowed attackers to upload malicious HTML files that, when viewed by an administrator, automatically harvested session tokens and granted full account takeover.

Fix Analysis (1)

Technical Appendix

CVSS Score
8.1/ 10
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Probability
0.04%
Top 88% most exploited

Affected Systems

HAX CMS (NodeJS backend)HAX CMS (PHP backend - conceptually vulnerable if similar logic exists)

Affected Versions Detail

Product
Affected Versions
Fixed Version
haxcms-nodejs
haxtheweb
>= 11.0.6 < 25.0.025.0.0
AttributeDetail
CWE IDCWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation)
CVSS v3.18.1 (High)
Attack VectorNetwork
Privileges RequiredLow (User capable of uploading files)
ImpactAccount Takeover (JWT Theft)
EPSS Score0.041%
CWE-79
Cross-site Scripting (XSS)

The software does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users.

Vulnerability Timeline

Fix committed to GitHub repository
2025-09-16
CVE-2026-22704 Assigned and Published
2026-01-10
GHSA Advisory Released; v25.0.0 tagged
2026-01-13

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