Interpretation conflict in NGINX JavaScript XML attribute handling
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Attack requirements
- Present
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · Low · None
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA.
Summary
F5 NGINX JavaScript (njs) from 0.7.10 before 1.0.2 has an interpretation conflict (CWE-436) in its XML module. Attributes with internal entity references may read as undefined, and the $attrs getter may return a value derived only from the first attribute child, both differing from libxml2 canonicalization. An unauthenticated attacker who obtains a genuinely signed document can make security-relevant attributes appear absent or truncated while signature verification succeeds.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-28
Description from the CNA
Description NGINX JavaScript (njs) has a vulnerability where the njs XML module exposes entity-backed XML attributes inconsistently with libxml2 canonicalization. In both the built-in njs and QuickJS backends during the canonicalization process, the $attr$Name getter may return undefined for an explicitly present attribute containing an internal entity reference. The $attrs getter may return a value derived only from the first attribute child. This may allow an unauthenticated attacker that invests significant effort in obtaining a genuinely signed document to skip validation while signature verification succeeds. An nginx-saml deployment is a confirmed affected consumer when run with the built-in njs backend. Impact In affected signed-XML consumers, an unauthenticated attacker can cause security-relevant attributes to appear absent or truncated while signature verification succeeds. In nginx-saml, this can bypass expiry, Destination, and request-correlation checks, enabling replay or acceptance of a response outside its intended context. It does not permit signature or identity forgery, or a direct availability impact. There is no control plane exposure; this is a data plane issue only. Note: Software versions which have reached End of Technical Support (EoTS) are not evaluated.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
Remediation
Upgrade F5 NGINX JavaScript to version 1.0.2 or later, which fixes the issue.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-28
- Fix · CNA NGINX JavaScript (F5) Fixed in 1.0.2
Fixed in the same release
Records fixed by the same vendor advisory or release, as the CNA lists them.
- Release ·
F5 NGINX JavaScript 1.0.2
2 records Highest priority Priority LOW 2 LOW
Other records, highest priority first
- TI-2026-74066 NGINX JavaScript (njs) memory leak in xml.parse() failure pathPriority LOW 36
Timeline
- 2026-10-14 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-101019
- 2026-10-14 Alias added: GHSA-fvf3-54p5-jg2m
- 2026-10-16 CISA SSVC decision points changed
- 2026-10-16 Priority changed: MEDIUM → LOW
References
More F5 vulnerabilities
- TI-2023-25230 BIG-IP Configuration utility unauthenticated remote code execution vulnerability KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2022-01269 Missing authentication in F5 BIG-IP KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2021-05850 Memory corruption in BIG-IP KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2021-05845 Server-side request forgery in BIG-IP; BIG-IQ KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2020-04820 Path traversal in BIG-IP KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2014-05975 GNU Bash through 4.3 bash43-025 processes trailing strings after certain malformed… KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
Sources
- CVE-2026-101019 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-101019 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-fvf3-54p5-jg2m · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
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