CVE-2008-5996: Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Simplenews module 5.x before 5.x-1.5 and 6.x before 6.x-1.0-be

Q: How do I fix CVE-2008-5996?

simplenews: upgrade to newer than 6.x-1.0. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Q: Is CVE-2008-5996 being exploited?

CVE-2008-5996 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

Q: What does CVE-2008-5996 affect?

CVE-2008-5996 affects simplenews. Severity is low (CVSS 3.5). Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Simplenews module 5.x before 5.x-1.5 and 6.x before 6.x-1.0-beta4, a module for Drupal, allows remote authenticated users, with "administer taxonomy" permissions, to inject arbitrary web scrip

Q: How urgent is CVE-2008-5996?

Priority 27/100. No elevated risk signals yet.

Routine

LOW 3.5UPGRADE

CVE-2008-5996 is a low-severity flaw (CVSS 3.5) affecting simplenews. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Simplenews module 5.x before 5.x-1.5 and 6.x before 6.x-1.0-beta4, a module for Drupal, allows remote authenticated users, with "administer taxonomy" permissions, to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a Newsletter category field.

Why this priority

No elevated risk signals yet

A fixed release or distro patch exists.

Risk facts

CVSS score	3.5 (Low)
EPSS exploit chance	0.8% (top 42%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-79
Published	2009-01-28
Last modified	2026-06-16

Publisher (CNA): MITRE · Vendor: link3

Last updated 2026-06-16 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2009-01-28 15:30 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-16 23:01 UTCUpdated Record last modified

link3 simplenews UPGRADE

Affected: <= 5.x-1.4 · <= 6.x-1.0 · 4.6.x-1.x-dev · 4.7.x-1.0 · 4.7.x-1.x-dev · 4.7.x-2.x-dev · 5.x-1.0 · 5.x-1.1

Fixed in: newer than 6.x-1.0

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy simplenews || rpm -q simplenews || simplenews --version

2. UPGRADE to newer than 6.x-1.0 (Debian / Ubuntu)

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade simplenews

2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

sudo dnf upgrade simplenews

Note

Distros often backport fixes without changing the version number. Confirm with the distro advisory or changelog.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2008-5996?

simplenews: upgrade to newer than 6.x-1.0. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2008-5996 being exploited?

CVE-2008-5996 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2008-5996 affect?

CVE-2008-5996 affects simplenews. Severity is low (CVSS 3.5). Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Simplenews module 5.x before 5.x-1.5 and 6.x before 6.x-1.0-beta4, a module for Drupal, allows remote authenticated users, with "administer taxonomy" permissions, to inject arbitrary web scrip

How urgent is CVE-2008-5996?

Priority 27/100. No elevated risk signals yet.

Software pages

Drupal vulnerabilities

Related CVEs

CVE-2013-4447 MEDIUM 4.3 DOWNGRADE Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the API in the Simplenews module 6.x-1.x before 6.x-1.5 and 7.x-1.
CVE-2012-2724 MEDIUM 5.3 DOWNGRADE The Simplenews module 6.x-1.x before 6.x-1.4, 6.x-2.x before 6.x-2.0-alpha4, and 7.x-1.x before 7.x-1.0-rc1 fo

References

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