Description
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in options.py for Mailman 2.1 allows remote attackers to inject script or HTML into web pages via the (1) email or (2) language parameters.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 3.0 | mailman | 2.0.11-1woody7 | DSA-436 |
Public exploits
Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.
Third-party code, not reviewed by us. Public PoCs are sometimes fake or contain malware. Read the code first and run it only in an isolated lab, against systems you are authorised to test.
Exploit-DB 2
- GNU Mailman 2.1 - 'email' Cross-Site Scripting EDB-22198 · webapps · Jan 24, 2003 · verified
- GNU Mailman 2.1 - Error Page Cross-Site Scripting EDB-22199 · webapps · Jan 24, 2003 · verified
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Affected packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected | Fixed | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PyPI | mailman | < 2.1.1 | 2.1.1 | GHSA-82rm-28q9-435p |
Advisories 1
- DSA-436 mailman - several vulnerabilities Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
References
- 20030124 Mailman: cross-site scripting bug mailing-list
- 9205 vdb-entry
- 6677 vdb-entry
- 1005987 vdb-entry
- http://telia.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/mailman/xss-2.1.0-patch.txt
- mailman-email-variable-xss(11152) vdb-entry
- DSA-436 vendor-advisory