CVE-2023-2798: Those using HtmlUnit to browse untrusted webpages may be vulnerable to Denial of service attacks (DoS)

Q: How do I fix CVE-2023-2798?

htmlunit: upgrade to 2.70.0. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Q: Is CVE-2023-2798 being exploited?

CVE-2023-2798 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-2023-2798 affect?

CVE-2023-2798 affects htmlunit. Severity is high (CVSS 7.5). Those using HtmlUnit to browse untrusted webpages may be vulnerable to Denial of service attacks (DoS). If HtmlUnit is running on user supplied web pages, an attacker may supply content that causes HtmlUnit to crash by a stack overflow. Thi

Q: How urgent is CVE-2023-2798?

Priority 46/100. High severity; Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

This month

HIGH 7.5REMOTEUPGRADE

CVE-2023-2798 is a high-severity flaw (CVSS 7.5) affecting htmlunit. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

Those using HtmlUnit to browse untrusted webpages may be vulnerable to Denial of service attacks (DoS). If HtmlUnit is running on user supplied web pages, an attacker may supply content that causes HtmlUnit to crash by a stack overflow. This effect may support a denial of service attack.This issue affects htmlunit before 2.70.0.

Why this priority

High severity
Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

A fixed release or distro patch exists.

Risk facts

CVSS score	7.5 (High)
Attack vector	Network (remote)
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	None
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	0.9% (top 40%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-400, CWE-787
Published	2023-05-25
Last modified	2026-06-17

Publisher (CNA): Google Inc. · Vendor: htmlunit

Last updated 2026-06-17 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2023-05-25 14:15 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-17 05:53 UTCUpdated Record last modified

htmlunit htmlunit UPGRADE

Affected: < 2.70.0

Fixed in: 2.70.0

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

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

2. UPGRADE to 2.70.0 (Debian / Ubuntu)

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

2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

sudo dnf upgrade htmlunit

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-2023-2798?

htmlunit: upgrade to 2.70.0. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2023-2798 being exploited?

CVE-2023-2798 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-2023-2798 affect?

CVE-2023-2798 affects htmlunit. Severity is high (CVSS 7.5). Those using HtmlUnit to browse untrusted webpages may be vulnerable to Denial of service attacks (DoS). If HtmlUnit is running on user supplied web pages, an attacker may supply content that causes HtmlUnit to crash by a stack overflow. Thi

How urgent is CVE-2023-2798?

Priority 46/100. High severity; Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

Related CVEs

CVE-2023-26119 CRITICAL 9.8 UPGRADE Versions of the package net.sourceforge.htmlunit:htmlunit from 0 and before 3.0.0 are vulnerable to Remote Cod
CVE-2023-49093 CRITICAL 9.8 UPGRADE HtmlUnit is a GUI-less browser for Java programs
CVE-2022-29546 HIGH 7.5 UPGRADE HtmlUnit NekoHtml Parser before 2.61.0 suffers from a denial of service vulnerability
CVE-2022-28366 HIGH 7.5 UPGRADE UPGRADE Certain Neko-related HTML parsers allow a denial of service via crafted Processing Instruction (PI) input that
CVE-2020-5529 HIGH 8.1 UPGRADE MITIGATE HtmlUnit prior to 2.37.0 contains code execution vulnerabilities

References

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