Hugging Face Smolagents XPath injection vulnerability in the search_item_ctrl_f function

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

5.4 · CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N

EPSS

• CVE-2025-11844: 0.28% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 20.59 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Hugging Face Smolagents version 1.20.0 contains an XPath injection vulnerability in the searchitemctrlf function located in src/smolagents/visionwebbrowser.py. The function constructs an XPath query by directly concatenating user-supplied input into the XPath expression without proper sanitization or escaping. This allows an attacker to inject malicious XPath syntax that can alter the intended query logic. The vulnerability enables attackers to bypass search filters, access unintended DOM elements, and disrupt web automation workflows. This can lead to information disclosure, manipulation of AI agent interactions, and compromise the reliability of automated web tasks. The issue is fixed in version 1.22.0.

Published by the source

22 Oct 2025, 15:31 UTC

Last modified by the source

7 Jul 2026, 17:56 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 13:35 UTC

1. Revision 2 · amended · 26 Oct 2026

   Amended from ghsa record GHSA-8mf9-rmgw-33qc

2. Revision 1 · created · 24 Oct 2026

   Published from osv record GHSA-8mf9-rmgw-33qc

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2025-11844

Advisory: Hugging Face Smolagents XPath injection vulnerability in the search_item_ctrl_f function
IDs: CVE-2025-11844, GHSA-8mf9-rmgw-33qc
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2025-11844 (revision 2, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 13:35 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Medium (CVSS 5.4)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: smolagents 1.22.0. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- PyPI smolagents: affected < 1.22.0; fixed in 1.22.0

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- `python -m pip show smolagents`: prints the installed version. Run with the environment that serves production active.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on smolagents.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-8mf9-rmgw-33qc (OSV record GHSA-8mf9-rmgw-33qc lists affected ranges: PyPI smolagents >=0 <1.22.0 (fixed))
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-8mf9-rmgw-33qc (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-8mf9-rmgw-33qc lists affected ranges: PyPI smolagents >=0 <1.22.0)

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