CVE-2026-83608: xmldom DocType `name` Injection Bypasses RequireWellFormed Vulnerability

{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-27p8-2357-5qqv",
  "modified" : "2026-09-08T21:02:51Z",
  "published" : "2026-09-08T21:02:51Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-83608" ],
  "summary" : "xmldom: DocType `name` Injection Bypasses requireWellFormed",
  "details" : "## Summary\n\nThe `@xmldom/xmldom` serializer emits `DocumentType.name` verbatim into the\n`<!DOCTYPE …>` declaration with no well-formedness guard. GHSA-f6ww-3ggp-fr8h\n(CVE-2026-41674) hardened the serializer's `requireWellFormed` path for a\nDocumentType's sibling fields — `publicId`, `systemId`, and `internalSubset` —\nbut it did **not** add any check for `name`. A `>` (or whitespace) in the name\nterminates the doctype declaration early, letting the remaining characters\nbecome sibling markup in the serialized output.\n\nBecause `requireWellFormed: true` — the recommended mitigation for the prior\nxmldom injection CVEs — performs no validation on the DocType `name`, this is a\nbypass of that control, in the same family as the open element-name\n(GHSA-w2rr-34g9-rvrj) and attribute-name (GHSA-4w3w-2rp5-g8jm) name-injection advisories.\n\n## Details\n\nThe serializer's `DOCUMENT_TYPE_NODE` case runs the `requireWellFormed` block\nonly against `publicId`, `systemId`, and `internalSubset`, then pushes\n`n.name` directly into the buffer between the `<!DOCTYPE ` prefix and the\nclosing `>`:\n\n- 0.9.x (v0.9.10, `bb7a085`):\n  [serializer DocType case, `lib/dom.js#L3256-L3283`](https://github.com/xmldom/xmldom/blob/bb7a085dc5ba1eea3212388509b97bb4b4af32b9/lib/dom.js#L3256-L3283)\n  — the `requireWellFormed` block ([#L3259-L3269](https://github.com/xmldom/xmldom/blob/bb7a085dc5ba1eea3212388509b97bb4b4af32b9/lib/dom.js#L3259-L3269))\n  validates `publicId`/`systemId`/`internalSubset` but not `name`, which is\n  emitted verbatim at [#L3270](https://github.com/xmldom/xmldom/blob/bb7a085dc5ba1eea3212388509b97bb4b4af32b9/lib/dom.js#L3270).\n- 0.8.x (v0.8.13, `e5c1480`):\n  [serializer DocType case, `lib/dom.js#L1914-L1946`](https://github.com/xmldom/xmldom/blob/e5c14802592685bb872c042c54c3f73758875c85/lib/dom.js#L1914-L1946)\n  — same structure; `name` is emitted verbatim at [#L1928](https://github.com/xmldom/xmldom/blob/e5c14802592685bb872c042c54c3f73758875c85/lib/dom.js#L1928).\n- unscoped `xmldom` (v0.6.0, `c80a161`):\n  [`lib/dom.js#L1105`](https://github.com/xmldom/xmldom/blob/c80a161172cc4d8733583bf0cf59abfa589f6d9e/lib/dom.js#L1105)\n  emits `node.name` verbatim; this line predates `requireWellFormed`, so there\n  is no well-formedness path at all.\n\n### Enabling write paths\n\n`DocumentType.name` is a plain, writable own-property, so the enabling vector\ndiffers by line:\n\n- **0.9.x** — `createDocumentType()` validates the name via\n  `validateQualifiedName` ([`lib/dom.js#L925-L936`](https://github.com/xmldom/xmldom/blob/bb7a085dc5ba1eea3212388509b97bb4b4af32b9/lib/dom.js#L925-L936),\n  validation at [#L926](https://github.com/xmldom/xmldom/blob/bb7a085dc5ba1eea3212388509b97bb4b4af32b9/lib/dom.js#L926)),\n  so the deliverable vector is a **direct property write**\n  (`dt.name = 'html><script>…'`) to the unguarded own-property.\n- **0.8.x** — `createDocumentType()` does **not** validate the name\n  ([`lib/dom.js#L456-L464`](https://github.com/xmldom/xmldom/blob/e5c14802592685bb872c042c54c3f73758875c85/lib/dom.js#L456-L464)),\n  so the malicious name is reachable directly through `createDocumentType()` as\n  well as via direct property write.\n- **unscoped `xmldom` (<= 0.6.0)** — `createDocumentType()` does not validate\n  the name ([`lib/dom.js#L286`](https://github.com/xmldom/xmldom/blob/c80a161172cc4d8733583bf0cf59abfa589f6d9e/lib/dom.js#L286)),\n  same as 0.8.x.\n\nThis is the same structural root cause the sibling name-injection advisories\nshare: the serializer's `requireWellFormed` path validates content delimiters\nbut no name field, and every name-like field is a plain writable property, so\nmutation / direct property-write bypasses any creation-time check.\n\n### Root Cause\n\n1. The serializer's `requireWellFormed` DocType block checks `publicId`,\n   `systemId`, and `internalSubset` (the fields hardened by GHSA-f6ww-3ggp-fr8h)\n   but has no check for `name`.\n2. `DocumentType.name` is a plain writable own-property; on 0.8.x and the\n   unscoped package `createDocumentType()` does not validate it either.\n3. The serializer emits `name` directly between the doctype delimiters:\n   `<!DOCTYPE ${name}…>`.\n\n## Proof of Concept\n\nRun against `@xmldom/xmldom` v0.9.10 (commit `bb7a085`):\n\n```javascript\nconst { DOMImplementation, XMLSerializer, DOMParser } = require('@xmldom/xmldom');\n\nconst impl = new DOMImplementation();\nconst serializer = new XMLSerializer();\n\n// 0.9.x createDocumentType validates the name, so overwrite it via direct property write\nconst dt = impl.createDocumentType('html', '', '');\ndt.name = 'html><script xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml\">alert(1)</script';\nconst doc = impl.createDocument(null, 'r', dt);\n\nconst output = serializer.serializeToString(doc, { requireWellFormed: true });\nconsole.log(output);\n// Output: <!DOCTYPE html><script xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml\">alert(1)</script><r/>\n//\n// requireWellFormed: true did NOT prevent the injection (no exception thrown).\n// The injected <script> is well-formed XHTML that a browser would execute.\n```\n\nConfirmed runtime behavior:\n\n- **0.9.x** — `createDocumentType()` rejects the malicious name at creation\n  (`InvalidCharacterError`); a direct write to `dt.name` bypasses that, and\n  `serializeToString(…, { requireWellFormed: true })` emits the breakout with no\n  exception.\n- **Re-parse confirmation** — re-parsing the output shows the injected\n  `<script>` is a real second top-level element originating entirely from the\n  DocType name: the parser rejects it with\n  `HierarchyRequestError: Only one element can be added and only after doctype`.\n  A comment-injection variant (`dt.name = 'html><!--INJECTED--'`, output\n  `<!DOCTYPE html><!--INJECTED--><r/>`) re-parses cleanly and the injected\n  comment node is enumerable, confirming the injected node is structurally live.\n- **0.8.x** (v0.8.13, `e5c1480`) — `createDocumentType('html><script>…', '', '')`\n  accepts the malicious name directly (no creation-time validation), and\n  `serializeToString(doc, null, null, { requireWellFormed: true })` produces\n  `<!DOCTYPE html><script>alert(1)</script><r/>` with no exception.\n\nA browser reproduction does not apply: browsers keep `DocumentType.name`\n`readonly`, so the direct-write vector cannot be reproduced in a browser DOM.\nThe injection is specific to xmldom exposing `name` as writable and serializing\nit without a guard.\n\n## Impact\n\nApplications that build a `DocumentType` node with an attacker-influenced\n`name` — via direct property write on any affected line, or via\n`createDocumentType()` on 0.8.x and the unscoped package — and serialize the\ndocument are vulnerable to XML/markup injection:\n\n- **XML structure injection** — breaking out of the `<!DOCTYPE …>` declaration\n  to inject arbitrary sibling elements, comments, or additional markup into the\n  output.\n- **XSS via XHTML** — if the serialized output is served as XHTML or processed\n  by a browser-based XML parser, an injected `<script>` element (in the XHTML\n  namespace) executes.\n- **requireWellFormed bypass** — applications that adopted\n  `requireWellFormed: true` as a mitigation for the prior injection CVEs\n  (including the sibling DocType fields fixed by GHSA-f6ww-3ggp-fr8h) remain\n  vulnerable through the DocType `name`.\n\n## Fix Applied\n\nUnder `requireWellFormed`, the serializer validates the DocType `name` as a well-formed XML\n`Name` and throws `InvalidStateError` when it is not — matching the sibling\n`publicId`/`systemId`/`internalSubset` checks. Non-breaking and opt-in; ships on both maintained versions. No\ncreation-time change is made: 0.9.x already validates the name at `createDocumentType`, and the\n0.8.x/unscoped creation gap cannot be closed without a breaking change, so it is left\nunfixed. See the [XML `Name` production](https://www.w3.org/TR/xml/#NT-Name).\n> **⚠ Opt-in required.** Protection is not automatic. Existing serialization calls remain\n> vulnerable unless `{ requireWellFormed: true }` is explicitly passed. Applications that\n> serialize untrusted DOM content should audit all `serializeToString()` call sites and add it.\n\n### Proof of Concept - fixed path\n\n```javascript\nconst { DOMImplementation, XMLSerializer } = require('@xmldom/xmldom');\n\nconst impl = new DOMImplementation();\nconst serializer = new XMLSerializer();\n\nconst dt = impl.createDocumentType('html', '', '');\ndt.name = 'html><script xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml\">alert(1)</script';\nconst doc = impl.createDocument(null, 'r', dt);\n\n// Default path: the ill-formed name is still emitted verbatim (injection present).\nconsole.log(serializer.serializeToString(doc));\n// <!DOCTYPE html><script xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml\">alert(1)</script><r/>\n\n// Opt-in path: serialization throws instead of emitting the breakout.\nserializer.serializeToString(doc, { requireWellFormed: true });\n// throws InvalidStateError\n```\n\n### Why the default stays verbatim\n\nW3C DOM Parsing's require-well-formed flag defaults to false, and the browser\n`XMLSerializer` emits the name verbatim in that default mode. Unconditionally\nthrowing would be an unjustified breaking change against that specified default,\nso the guard is opt-in behind `{ requireWellFormed: true }`.\n\n### Residual limitation\n\nThe default serialization path still emits the ill-formed DocType `name`\nverbatim; protection applies only when `requireWellFormed: true` is passed. No\ncreation-time validation is added for the DocType `name`: 0.9.x already validates\nat `createDocumentType`, and the 0.8.x/unscoped creation gap is left unfixed — it\ncannot be closed without a breaking change.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "@xmldom/xmldom"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0.7.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.8.15"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 0.8.14"
    }
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "@xmldom/xmldom"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0.9.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.9.12"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 0.9.11"
    }
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "xmldom"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "0.6.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/xmldom/xmldom/security/advisories/GHSA-27p8-2357-5qqv"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-83608"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/xmldom/xmldom/pull/1071"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/xmldom/xmldom/pull/1072"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/xmldom/xmldom/commit/57aec90ac57b4408ae7c5d1746bf2a693b5ed90e"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/xmldom/xmldom/commit/85f12eb4d14b44de33216cfb72b50af4d24e9fdd"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/xmldom/xmldom"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/xmldom/xmldom/releases/tag/0.8.15"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/xmldom/xmldom/releases/tag/0.9.12"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-91" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-09-08T21:02:51Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-09-01T15:17:38Z"
  }
}