CVE-2023-34461: PyBB is an open source bulletin board. (CVSS 4.6)

PyBB is an open source bulletin board.

PyBB is an open source bulletin board. A manual code review of the PyBB bulletin board server has revealed that a vulnerability could have been exploited in which users could submit any type of HTML tag, and have said tag run. For example, a malicious `<a>` that looks like ```<a href=javascript:alert (1)>xss</a>``` could have been used to run code through JavaScript on the client side. The problem has been patched as of commit `5defd92`, and users are advised to upgrade. Attackers do need posting privilege in order to exploit this vulnerability. This vulnerability is present within the 0.1.0 release, and users are advised to upgrade to 0.1.1. Users unable to upgrade may be able to work around the attack by either; Removing the ability to create posts, removing the `|safe` tag from the Jinja2 template titled "post.html" in templates or by adding manual validation of links in the post creation section.

Description from the National Vulnerability Database, published by GitHub

What it means for a small business

If your business uses PyBB, install the vendor's update. If you're not sure whether you use it, ask whoever manages your computers.

How likely is an attack? The Exploit Prediction Scoring System, run by FIRST (the global association of security response teams), puts the odds of this one being exploited in the next 30 days at 0.34%, higher than 27% of CVEs. That’s low, but low isn’t zero, and the odds jump the day someone publishes an exploit. Scored November 1, 2026, updated daily.

Check your own setup

Website check: reads what your site runs from the outside (WordPress version, plugins it can see, old server software) and matches it against this database.
Server check: what your web server says about itself, and whether that version has known flaws.

Sources

Part of the Huttenlocher Technologies vulnerability database, refreshed twice a day from CISA and the NVD. The title, category and plain-language guidance are ours; check the linked record before acting on a detail. This is general guidance, not a review of your systems.

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