# CVE-2026-36470: CuteNews reflected XSS in Referer header

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-36470-cutenews-v-2-1-2-is-vulnerable-to-cross-site-scripting-xss-in  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-09-21. Updated: 2026-09-26  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-36470 · Severity: medium · CVSS 5.8 · Published 2026-09-21

CuteNews is a content management and news publishing system. The application fails to sanitize the HTTP Referer header, allowing an attacker to inject malicious scripts that execute in a victim's browser when they visit a crafted link. This could lead to session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized actions performed on behalf of the victim.

Technologies: [CuteNews](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/cutenews). Vendors: [CuteNews](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/cutenews).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-36470 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-36470 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-36470?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 5.8, published 21 September 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** CuteNews 2.1.2.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-36470?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

**How is CVE-2026-36470 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a web application.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-36470?** Check whether you run CuteNews at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Technical details

A reflected cross-site scripting vulnerability exists in index.php where the Referer header value is copied directly into the HTML response without escaping or sanitization. An attacker crafts a malicious Referer header containing JavaScript payloads and tricks a user into making a POST request to index.php (via a crafted link or form). The injected script then executes in the victim's browser with access to session cookies and page context.

## Affected products

- CuteNews CuteNews 2.1.2

## Timeline

- 2026-09-21: disclosed

## References

- [https://github.com/CuteNews/cutenews-2.0](https://github.com/CuteNews/cutenews-2.0)
- [https://github.com/UmbraDeorum/cutenews-2.0-CVEs-2026-Disclosure](https://github.com/UmbraDeorum/cutenews-2.0-CVEs-2026-Disclosure)

## Related threats

- [CuteNews Cross-Site Scripting in __referer parameter](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-36472-cutenews-v-2-1-2-is-vulnerable-to-cross-site-scripting-xss)
- [CuteNews unsafe deserialization in cn_parse_url](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-36471-deserialization-of-untrusted-data-of-the-post-data-parameter-in)
- [CuteNews Server-Side Request Forgery in media upload](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-36469-cutenews-v-2-1-2-is-vulnerable-to-server-side-request-forgery)
- [CuteNews reflected XSS via URL parameter key](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-36468-cross-site-scripting-xss-in-index-php-in-cutenews-v-2-1-2-allows)
- [CuteNews unrestricted file upload in media manager](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-36467-unrestricted-upload-of-file-with-dangerous-type-in-core-modules)