Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HCVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.
Summary
CVE-2023-49093 is a critical-severity Code Injection (CWE-94) vulnerability in Htmlunit Htmlunit. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Junk Data (T1001.001); ranked in the top 17% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
HtmlUnit, a GUI-less browser for Java programs, contains a remote code execution vulnerability triggered when the library processes XSLT stylesheets from untrusted sources. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2023-49093 and assigned CWE-94, affects all releases prior to 3.9.0 and carries a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8.
An unauthenticated attacker can exploit the issue by hosting a malicious webpage that HtmlUnit-based Java applications are induced to load. Successful exploitation grants the attacker arbitrary code execution on the host running the vulnerable HtmlUnit instance, with no user interaction or privileges required.
The project’s security advisory GHSA-37vq-hr2f-g7h7 and the 3.9.0 release notes state that the vulnerability is resolved by upgrading to HtmlUnit 3.9.0. The associated EPSS score has remained low and essentially flat since disclosure, with a current value of 0.0514 and a peak of 0.0528.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2023-3079
Vulnerability Data
HtmlUnit is a GUI-less browser for Java programs. HtmlUnit is vulnerable to Remote Code Execution (RCE) via XSTL, when browsing the attacker’s webpage. This vulnerability has been patched in version 3.9.0
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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V1.3.1
Likely Mitigating Controls AI
Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.
Makes persistent code injection into loaded programs impossible when the executable image itself resides on hardware-protected read-only media.
Dynamically generated code can be produced and executed inside the isolated chamber, preventing host compromise from code-injection payloads.
Validates inputs used in dynamic code generation to block injected directives.
Directly prevents execution of attacker-supplied code written into data memory regions.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
PR.PS-06's SDLC practices directly target injection flaws via secure coding and testing (mostly), yet as a single broad outcome it leaves many code-generation specifics unaddressed (partial).
PR.DS-10 protects runtime data confidentiality/integrity but has no bearing on neutralizing externally influenced input during code generation, so neither direction shows any preventive effect.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.