Reflected XSS in AshAuthentication confirmation and magic link interaction forms
## Summary Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation (XSS) vulnerability in team-alembic AshAuthentication allows reflected cross-site scripting via the confirmation and magic link interaction forms. When a strategy is configured with `require_interaction?` set to `true`, AshAuthentication serves an intermediate HTML page asking the user to confirm the action by submitting a form. Both such pages embed a request parameter directly into a hidden input's `value` attribute without HTML escaping: `lib/ash_authentication/add_ons/confirmation/confirmation_form.html.eex` interpolates the `confirm` parameter, and `lib/ash_authentication/strategies/magic_link/sign_in_form.html.eex` interpolates the magic link token parameter. These templates are compiled with `EEx.function_from_file/3` using plain `<%= %>` expressions, which perform no escaping, so the parameter is reflected verbatim. Neither accept handler validates the value before rendering it. `AshAuthentication.AddOn.Confirmation.Plug.accept/2` only checks that a `confirm` key is present, and `AshAuthentication.Strategy.MagicLink.Plug.accept/2` reads the parameter directly, so no token signature is verified at this stage and arbitrary attacker-supplied text reaches the template. An unauthenticated attacker can therefore craft a URL whose parameter terminates the attribute and injects markup, for example a quote followed by a `<script>` element. Because the accept phase is served over GET, loading the crafted link is sufficient; no form submission or prior authentication is required. The injected script executes in the origin of the application embedding AshAuthentication, giving it access to that origin's cookies, session, and same-origin responses. Since these pages are part of the authentication flow, a victim following what appears to be a legitimate confirmation or sign-in link is a plausible target. This issue affects ash_authentication: from 4.8.0 before 4.14.2 and from 5.0.0-rc.0 before 5.0.0-rc.13. ## Configurations Only strategies configured with `require_interaction?` set to `true` are affected. This option defaults to `false`, and when it is disabled the vulnerable accept route is not registered at all, so the affected pages cannot be reached. The option is not obscure: AshAuthentication's own documentation for the confirmation add-on advises that applications using AshAuthenticationPhoenix should enable it, so the affected configuration is a documented and recommended deployment rather than an unusual one. At least one of the following must be configured with `require_interaction? true`: - the `confirmation` add-on, which serves the affected confirmation accept form; or - the `magic_link` strategy, which serves the affected sign-in accept form.
describes (1)
Related CVEs.
| ID | severity | exploitable | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2026-66882US | — | — | ||
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation (XSS) vulnerability in team-alembic AshAuthentication allows reflected cross-site scripting via the confirmation and mag… | ||||
references
External citations — patches, advisories, analysis.
- https://cna.erlef.org/cves/CVE-2026-66882.htmlWEB
- https://github.com/team-alembic/ash_authentication/commit/0bd5199db066be22b2ca1ec8bc6109e5d62e6070FIX
- https://github.com/team-alembic/ash_authentication/commit/62719710790a150a9eacab9c0a066e0d122d15beFIX
- https://github.com/team-alembic/ash_authentication/security/advisories/GHSA-54fc-x3hv-ffhwADVISORY
- https://hex.pm/packages/ash_authenticationPACKAGE
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