Medium

Cross-site Scripting when rendering error messages in laminas-form

Disclosed: 28.01.2022
Updated: 11.10.2026 10:22

Impact

When rendering validation error messages via the formElementErrors() view helper shipped with laminas-form, many messages will contain the submitted value. However, in vulnerable versions of laminas-form, the value was not being escaped for HTML contexts, which can potentially lead to a Reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attack.

Patches

The following versions were issued to mitigate the vulnerability:

2.17.1
3.0.2
3.1.1

Workarounds

At the top of a view script where you call the formElementErrors() view helper, place the following code:

php

use Laminas\Form\ElementInterface;
use Laminas\View\PhpRenderer;

$escapeMessages = function (ElementInterface $formOrElement, PhpRenderer $renderer): void {
    $messages = $element->getMessages();
    if (! $messages) {
        return;
    }

    $escaped  = [];
    array_walk_recursive(
        $messages,
        static function (string $item) use (&$escaped, $renderer): void {
            $escaped[] = $renderer->escapeHtml($item);
        }
    };

    $element->setMessages($escaped);
};

Before calling formElementErrors() with a form, fieldset, or element, call the above closure as follows

php

// Usage with a form
// $this is the view renderer
$escapeMessages($form, $this);

// Usage with a fieldset
// $this is the view renderer
$escapeMessages($fieldset, $this);

// Usage with a form element
// $this is the view renderer
$escapeMessages($element, $this);

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:

Open an issue
Email us at security@getlaminas.org

Affected software

Click a technology to see all vulnerabilities affecting it.

Platform	Package	Vulnerable versions	Fixed in
Composer package	laminas/laminas-form	>= 3.1.0, < 3.1.1, >= 3.0.0, < 3.0.2, < 2.17.1	3.1.1, 3.0.2, 2.17.1

References

CVSS score 6.1/10

CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Weakness (CWE): CWE-79
Platform: Composer
Package: laminas/laminas-form
Disclosed: 28.01.2022
Updated: 11.10.2026 10:22

Sources and licenses

OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-jq4p-mq33-w375 - CC BY 4.0

Vulnerability history: laminas/laminas-form

All published vulnerabilities of this package (Composer package), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.

This is the only known vulnerability of this package.

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