Validator.isValidSafeHTML is being deprecated and will be deleted from org.owasp.esapi:esapi in 1 year

Exploitation

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

CVSS

not scored

EPSS

No dated EPSS signal available.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Impact The Validator.isValidSafeHTML method can result in false negatives where it reports some input as safe (i.e., returns true), but really isn't, and using that same input as-is can in certain circumstances result in XSS vulnerabilities. Because this method cannot be fixed, it is being deprecated and will be removed in one years time from when this advisory is published. Full details may be found in ESAPI Security Bulletin #12. Note that all versions of ESAPI, that have this method (which dates back to at least the ESAPI 1.3 release more than 15 years ago) have this issue and it will continue to exist until we remove these two methods in a future ESAPI release. Patches There is no patch. We do not believe that it is possible to patch this pretentiously named method other then perhaps renaming it to something like Validator.mightThisBeValidSafeHTML to dissuade developers from using it. Workarounds Stop using this method. Note that Validator.getValidSafeHTML is believed to be safe…

Published by the source

27 Nov 2023, 17:25 UTC

Last modified by the source

26 Nov 2024, 18:53 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 16:34 UTC

1. Revision 1 · created · 26 Oct 2026

   Published from ghsa record GHSA-r68h-jhhj-9jvm

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# Patch Next advisory brief: GHSA-r68h-jhhj-9jvm

Advisory: Validator.isValidSafeHTML is being deprecated and will be deleted from org.owasp.esapi:esapi in 1 year
IDs: GHSA-r68h-jhhj-9jvm
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/ghsa-r68h-jhhj-9jvm (revision 1, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 16:34 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Unrated
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: org.owasp.esapi:esapi 2.6.0.0. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- Maven org.owasp.esapi:esapi: affected < 2.6.0.0; fixed in 2.6.0.0

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- Maven org.owasp.esapi:esapi: check the installed version with your package manager.

## 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 org.owasp.esapi:esapi.
- 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://github.com/advisories/GHSA-r68h-jhhj-9jvm (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-r68h-jhhj-9jvm lists affected ranges: Maven org.owasp.esapi:esapi >=0 <2.6.0.0)

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