CVE-2026-43980: malla Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-ch57-39q2-4crm
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CVSS 6.3
CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-43980 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.3) cross-site scripting vulnerability (CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')) affecting malla libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves stored xss via meshtastic node names in multiple frontend pages. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2026-43980 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-43980
GHSA Identifier GHSA-ch57-39q2-4crm
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.3
CWE Classification CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Affected Product malla
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.3

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality Low (C:L)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability Low (A:L)

How to Fix CVE-2026-43980

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected malla dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

malla fixed: Latest secure release 
pip install malla>=Latest secure release
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

pip show malla

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2026-43980, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show malla

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of malla in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), your application is affected.

Note: The pip show malla command checks currently installed packages in your active Python environment.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting'), where the product 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. In malla, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

Node names (long_name, short_name) received via MQTT are stored in SQLite without sanitization and rendered into the DOM without escaping. Any participant on a public Meshtastic MQTT broker can set a malicious node name that executes JavaScript in the browser of every Malla dashboard visitor. Affected files: - src/malla/templates/traceroute_graph.html (line ~832) - src/malla/templates/map.html (lines ~945, 1078) - src/malla/templates/packet_detail.html (lines ~1402, 1452) - src/malla/static/js/relay_node_analysis.js (line ~124) Steps to reproduce 1. Publish a Meshtastic NODEINFO_APP packet to any public MQTT broker with long_name set to a HTML entity i.e `<img src=x onerror=alert(1)>` 2. Wait for malla-capture to store it 3. Open the dashboard Impact Allows unauthenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript in the browser, such as: - Phishing overlays - Force redirect to malicious websites - Injection of arbitrary third-party scripts (no CSP restrictions) - Browser resource abuse - Persistent dashboard denial of service

CVE-2026-43980 Affected malla Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
malla
pypi/malla
PyPI
≤ 0.1.7

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/zenitraM/malla/security/advisories/GHSA-ch57-39q2-4crm
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/zenitraM/malla/commit/4086e2b5f61615a813b70b25bc76095083552135
malla Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/zenitraM/malla

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-43980?
CVE-2026-43980 is a security vulnerability in malla involving Stored XSS via Meshtastic node names in multiple frontend pages under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting').
Which malla versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: malla.
What version fixes CVE-2026-43980?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is malla affected?
Yes, malla is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-43980?
CVE-2026-43980 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.3 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-43980?
CVE-2026-43980 is classified under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') (The product 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.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2026-43980?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show malla'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-ch57-39q2-4crm",
  "modified" : "2026-06-03T21:06:27Z",
  "published" : "2026-06-03T21:06:27Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-43980" ],
  "summary" : "malla: Stored XSS via Meshtastic node names in multiple frontend pages",
  "details" : "Node names (long_name, short_name) received via MQTT are stored in SQLite without sanitization and rendered into the DOM without escaping.\nAny participant on a public Meshtastic MQTT broker can set a malicious node name that executes JavaScript in the browser of every Malla dashboard visitor.\n\nAffected files:\n\n - src/malla/templates/traceroute_graph.html (line ~832)\n - src/malla/templates/map.html (lines ~945, 1078)\n - src/malla/templates/packet_detail.html (lines ~1402, 1452)\n - src/malla/static/js/relay_node_analysis.js (line ~124)\n\nSteps to reproduce\n\n 1. Publish a Meshtastic NODEINFO_APP packet to any public MQTT broker with long_name set to a HTML entity i.e `<img src=x onerror=alert(1)>`\n 2. Wait for malla-capture to store it\n 3. Open the dashboard\n\nImpact\n\nAllows unauthenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript in the browser, such as: \n\n - Phishing overlays\n - Force redirect to malicious websites\n - Injection of arbitrary third-party scripts (no CSP restrictions)\n - Browser resource abuse \n - Persistent dashboard denial of service",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "malla"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "0.1.7"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/zenitraM/malla/security/advisories/GHSA-ch57-39q2-4crm"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/zenitraM/malla/commit/4086e2b5f61615a813b70b25bc76095083552135"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/zenitraM/malla"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-06-03T21:06:27Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}