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NetboxApplication

CVE-2025-69848

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-02-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 3.7.8 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
NetBox is an open-source infrastructure resource modeling and IP address management platform. A reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability exists in versions 2.11.0 through 3.7.x in the ProtectedError handling logic, where object names are included in HTML error messages without proper escaping. This allows user-controlled content to be rendered in the web interface when a delete operation fails due to protected relationships, potentially enabling execution of arbitrary client-side code in the context of a privileged user.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

NetBox versions 2.11.0 through 3.7.x contain a reflected XSS vulnerability in the ProtectedError handling logic. When a delete operation fails due to protected relationships, the object name is reflected into an HTML error message without proper escaping, allowing arbitrary JavaScript execution in a privileged user's browser.

MitigationThe fix requires modifying the ProtectedError handler to properly escape or sanitize object names before rendering them in HTML error messages. Upgrading to a patched version once available is recommended.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
NetboxApplication
Affected:>= 2.11.0, <= 3.7.8

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed NetBox version
    Run 'netbox --version' or check the version file in the NetBox installation directory (e.g., /opt/netbox/netbox/netbox/version.py or via the API at /api/version/)
    Affected if The installed version falls within 2.11.0 through 3.7.8 (inclusive)
  2. Determine if protected relationships exist
    Search the NetBox codebase for models using on_delete=PROTECT or review database relationships that enforce referential integrity on deletion. Check Django models.py files for ForeignKey/OneToOneField fields with on_delete=PROTECT
    Affected if Any protected relationships are defined in the NetBox installation, which would trigger ProtectedError on delete attempts
  3. Inspect ProtectedError handler code
    Locate the exception handler that catches ProtectedError exceptions in NetBox views (typically in views/generic.py or similar). Examine how the object name is passed to the error response template
    Affected if The object name from the ProtectedError is directly inserted into the HTML response without escaping (e.g., using {{ object }} instead of {{ object|escape }} in a template)
  4. Test delete with protected relationship
    Attempt to delete an object that has related objects referencing it with protected delete behavior. For example, try deleting a device that is assigned to a rack or a site that contains devices
    Affected if The resulting error page reflects the object name in the HTML without proper sanitization, allowing script injection if the object name contains HTML/JavaScript

A user is affected if they run NetBox version 2.11.0 through 3.7.8, have protected relationships configured, and attempt deletions that trigger ProtectedError with unsanitized object names in the error response.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 3.7.8
Interim mitigation

The fix requires modifying the ProtectedError handler to properly escape or sanitize object names before rendering them in HTML error messages. Upgrading to a patched version once available is recommended.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

NetBox 3.7.9 or later / latest 3.x stable release

  1. 1. Backup the current NetBox database and configuration files before proceeding with any upgrade.
  2. 2. Review the official NetBox upgrade documentation for your current version path.
  3. 3. Upgrade NetBox to version 3.7.9 or later (or to the latest stable 3.x release).
  4. 4. After upgrading, verify the ProtectedError messages properly escape HTML characters.
  5. 5. Test delete operations on objects with protected relationships to confirm the XSS fix is applied.
  6. 6. Clear any cached data and restart all NetBox services (uwsgi, celery, nginx).
Caveat Review release notes for any breaking changes between 3.7.x versions; minor upgrades typically have minimal impact

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Netbox Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-69848 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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