Overview
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities are a common and pervasive class of web application security flaws that represent a significant risk to both businesses and their consumers. In this article, we will be discussing a stored XSS vulnerability in Mealie 3.0.1 and earlier, identified as CVE-2025-56795. This vulnerability affects the recipe creation functionality and could potentially lead to system compromise or data leakage if exploited.
This vulnerability is particularly significant due to the high CVSS severity score of 9.0, which indicates a major potential impact. Any entity using Mealie 3.0.1 or earlier in their systems should take immediate notice and apply the necessary mitigations to prevent potential exploits.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-56795
Severity: Critical (CVSS 9.0)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Impact: System compromise or potential data leakage
Affected Products
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Passwords, credentials, confidential files, screenshots, internal discussions, sensitive AI context, and private coordination should not become exposed across ordinary communication platforms.
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- • End-to-end encrypted chat, calls, files, and notes
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Product | Affected Versions
Mealie | 3.0.1 and earlier
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability originates from unsanitized user input in the “note” and “text” fields of the “/api/recipes/{recipe_name}” endpoint. The input is rendered in the frontend without proper escaping. An attacker could exploit this flaw by injecting malicious scripts into these fields. As a result, when the payload is rendered on the frontend, the malicious script is executed in the context of the victim’s session, potentially leading to system compromise or data leakage.
Conceptual Example Code
Below is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. This is a sample HTTP request where the attacker injects a malicious script into the “note” field:
POST /api/recipes/{recipe_name} HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/json
{
"note": "<script>malicious code here</script>",
"text": "normal input"
}In this example, the malicious code within the script tags would be executed whenever the note is rendered on the frontend. The actual malicious code would depend on the intent of the attacker, and could range from stealing session cookies, to performing actions on behalf of the user, to loading external malicious content.
Mitigation Guidance
It is strongly recommended to apply the vendor-provided patch to fix this vulnerability. If for any reason the patch cannot be applied immediately, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can provide temporary mitigation. However, these measures are not a long-term solution and the patch should be applied as soon as possible to fully secure your system.