CVE-2026-121949: Symfony: HtmlSanitizer Does Not URL-Sanitize srcset and imagesrcset: Media Scheme and Host Allow-List Bypass
The Symfony HtmlSanitizer component does not apply the media URL policy to the srcset and imagesrcset attributes, allowing values that point to hosts or schemes not permitted by allowMediaSchemes() or allowMediaHosts() to bypass it, so that browsers load images from disallowed hosts in Symfony versions 6.1.x prior to 6.4.50, 7.x prior to 7.4.23, and 8.x prior to 8.1.11.The srcset attribute on img and source elements and the imagesrcset attribute on link elements are allowed by the sanitizer, but their URL candidates are never validated, so their values are kept verbatim while the same URL in src is dropped. The fixes for CVE-2026-45753 and CVE-2026-48761 extended the same attribute list but did not cover these two attributes. For example, with allowMediaSchemes(['https']) and allowMediaHosts(['trusted.example']), <img srcset="https://evil.example/a.png 1x"> survives sanitization, and the browser fetches the selected candidate as it would fetch src. Candidates with a scheme forbidden by the configuration, such as http, are kept as well. Any application that sanitizes untrusted HTML and relies on the media schemes and hosts allowlists to restrict where images can be loaded from is affected. A single crafted value is enough to make the browser of a user viewing the sanitized content send a request to an attacker-controlled host, which can be used to track viewers or log their IP addresses. No authentication is needed if the application accepts HTML from unauthenticated users.
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Upgrade
Upgrade
Symfony HtmlSanitizer componentto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 6.4.50 - Upgrade
Upgrade
Symfony HtmlSanitizer componentto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.4.23 - Upgrade
Upgrade
Symfony HtmlSanitizer componentto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 8.1.11
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
Which applications are exposed to this issue?
Applications are exposed if they sanitize untrusted HTML with Symfony HtmlSanitizer and rely on allowMediaSchemes() or allowMediaHosts() to restrict image-loading destinations. The issue affects srcset on img and source elements, and imagesrcset on link elements.
What does an attacker need to exploit it?
An attacker needs to supply HTML that is processed by the sanitizer and later rendered by a browser. They can place disallowed URL candidates in srcset or imagesrcset; the sanitizer preserves them and the browser may fetch the selected image.
Which Symfony versions need to be updated?
Affected releases are Symfony 6.1.x before 6.4.50, 7.x before 7.4.23, and 8.x before 8.1.11. The listed fixed versions should be used for the applicable release branch.
How can I determine whether my sanitizer configuration is affected?
Test sanitized untrusted HTML containing a srcset or imagesrcset value pointing to a host or scheme excluded by your media allowlist. A vulnerable configuration will retain that attribute value even when the same URL would be removed from src.