K2Application · Joomlaworks
CVE-2026-48942
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 · uneditedK2 ≤ 2.26 renders the `#__k2_users.image` column directly into HTML `src` attributes via two distinct templates, in both cases without HTML escaping.
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 · moderate confidenceK2 component versions 2.26 and below contain a stored XSS vulnerability where the `#__k2_users.image` database column is rendered directly into HTML `src` attributes in two templates without proper HTML escaping. An attacker with user edit permissions could inject malicious JavaScript via the image field that executes when viewed by other users.
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
K2Application
<= 2.26CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify if K2 component is installedCheck your Joomla administrator extensions manager for the K2 component by Joomlaworks, or query your database for tables prefixed with #__k2_ (such as #__k2_users)Affected if K2 component is present in the Joomla installation
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Determine installed K2 versionLook for the K2 version in the Joomla extensions manager details panel, or check the version.php file in the K2 administrator folder if accessibleAffected if The installed K2 version is 2.26 or below
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Inspect K2 user image field in databaseQuery the #__k2_users table for the image column: SELECT id, userID, image FROM #__k2_users WHERE image IS NOT NULL AND image != ''Affected if Any records contain HTML or JavaScript in the image field (e.g., javascript:, data: URIs, or unescaped quote characters)
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Verify template usageCheck if your Joomla template overrides or the K2 default templates are loading user profile data that renders the image field into src attributesAffected if Templates are rendering the K2 user image field directly without output escaping
A user is affected if they have K2 version 2.26 or below installed AND have K2 user profiles with custom image values in the database that could contain malicious scripts.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataApply output encoding/escaping to the image field before rendering into src attributes in both affected templates, or upgrade to K2 version >2.26 if a patched release is available.
Fix this in K2
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,408.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-48942 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-48942 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data