CVE-2026-76982

CVE-2026-76982 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Apache Wicket with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.4. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-79.

Key facts

Description

Improper neutralization of input during web page generation in Apache Wicket. org.apache.wicket.markup.html.form.Button clears the escape-model-strings flag in its constructor, so that the value attribute it writes is not encoded twice — ComponentTag already encodes attribute values when it writes the tag. That reasoning holds only for the attribute. When the component is attached to a <button> element rather than an <input>, it writes its model object into the element body instead, and nothing encodes an element body, so markup in the model is rendered as markup. An application is affected where it renders a Button on a <button> element and that button's model holds data an attacker can influence. Wicket cannot determine where a model value comes from, so whether it reaches the page from a request or from storage is a property of the application. The subclasses that inherit this constructor — AjaxButton, AjaxFallbackButton and WizardButton — are affected on the same terms. As a workaround, calling setEscapeModelStrings(true) on a button that renders as a <button> element escapes the body correctly, and does not cause double encoding, because the value attribute is written only for <input> elements. This issue affects Apache Wicket: from 8.0.0 through 8.18.0, from 9.0.0 through 9.23.0, from 10.0.0 through 10.10.0. Older, unsupported releases from 6.25.0 and 7.5.0 onwards are also affected. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 8.19.0, 9.24.0 or 10.11.0, which fix the issue.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-76982?
Improper neutralization of input during web page generation in Apache Wicket. org.apache.wicket.markup.html.form.Button clears the escape-model-strings flag in its constructor, so that the value attribute it writes is not encoded twice — ComponentTag already encodes attribute values when it writes the tag. That reasoning holds only for the attribute. When the component is attached to a <button> element rather than an <input>, it writes its model object into the element body instead, and nothing encodes an element body, so markup in the model is rendered as markup. An application is affected where it renders a Button on a <button> element and that button's model holds data an attacker can influence. Wicket cannot determine where a model value comes from, so whether it reaches the page from a request or from storage is a property of the application. The subclasses that inherit this constructor — AjaxButton, AjaxFallbackButton and WizardButton — are affected on the same terms. As a workaround, calling setEscapeModelStrings(true) on a button that renders as a <button> element escapes the body correctly, and does not cause double encoding, because the value attribute is written only for <input> elements. This issue affects Apache Wicket: from 8.0.0 through 8.18.0, from 9.0.0 through 9.23.0, from 10.0.0 through 10.10.0. Older, unsupported releases from 6.25.0 and 7.5.0 onwards are also affected. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 8.19.0, 9.24.0 or 10.11.0, which fix the issue.
How severe is CVE-2026-76982?
CVE-2026-76982 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.4, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is low, integrity low, and availability none.
Is CVE-2026-76982 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (41st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2026-76982?
CVE-2026-76982 affects Apache Wicket. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2026-76982?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2026-76982 published?
CVE-2026-76982 was published on 2026-08-31 and last updated on 2026-09-01.

References

Affected products (1)

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