# CVE-2023-28447: Cross site scripting vulnerability in Javascript escaping in smarty/smarty

> Attackers can execute arbitrary JavaScript in user browsers via improper escaping in the Smarty PHP template engine, potentially stealing data or hijacking sessions.

- **Severity:** High 7.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 28 Mar 2023
- **Updated:** 3 Nov 2025
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2023-28447, GHSA-7j98-h7fp-4vwj, MGASA-2023-0155, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-28447, USN-8242-2, USN-8272-1

## What is CVE-2023-28447?

CVE-2023-28447 is a high-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in Fedoraproject Fedora, published on 28 Mar 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Smarty is a template engine for PHP. In affected versions smarty did not properly escape javascript code. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary JavaScript code in the context of the user's browser session. This may lead to unauthorized access to sensitive user data, manipulation of the web application's behavior, or unauthorized actions performed on behalf of the user. Users are advised to upgrade to either version 3.1.48 or to 4.3.1 to resolve this issue. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.

Weakness: CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-28447?

4 open source packages ship an affected version, including smarty/smarty. It affects 2 products.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `smarty/smarty` | Packagist | All versions | 3.1.48 |
| `smarty/smarty` | Packagist | All versions | 3.1.48 |
| `smarty/smarty` | Packagist | From 4.0.0 | 4.3.1 |
| `smarty/smarty` | Packagist | From 4.0.0 | 4.3.1 |

Products: Fedoraproject Fedora, Smarty Smarty.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-28447?

Upgrade smarty/smarty to a fixed version for your release line: 3.1.48 or 4.3.1.

## Is CVE-2023-28447 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-28447 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- Module for PrestaShop 1.7.X to fix CVE-2023-28447 vulnerability (Smarty XSS) (github_poc): https://github.com/drkbcn/lblfixer_cve_2023_28447

## Other vulnerabilities in Fedoraproject Fedora

- [CVE-2024-4577](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-4577/): PHP-CGI OS Command Injection (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2021-39226](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-39226/): Grafana Authentication Bypass (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2019-5544](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-5544/): VMware ESXi and Horizon DaaS OpenSLP Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2024-4947](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-4947/): Google Chromium V8 Type Confusion (critical 9.6, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2024-4671](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-4671/): Google Chromium Visuals Use-After-Free (critical 9.6, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-28447 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-28447 is a high-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in Fedoraproject Fedora, published on 28 Mar 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-28447 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- smarty/smarty (Packagist): affected all versions; fixed in 3.1.48
- smarty/smarty (Packagist): affected all versions; fixed in 3.1.48
- smarty/smarty (Packagist): affected from 4.0.0; fixed in 4.3.1
- smarty/smarty (Packagist): affected from 4.0.0; fixed in 4.3.1

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-28447/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-28447/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-28447
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-28447
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-28447

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-28447/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.