CVE-2026-42090

CRITICAL
Published May 4, 2026 Modified May 12, 2026 CWE-79 CWE-94

Description

Notesnook is a note-taking app focused on user privacy & ease of use. Prior to Notesnook Web/Desktop version 3.3.15 and prior to Notesnook iOS/Android version 3.3.20, a stored XSS vulnerability in the note export flow can be escalated to remote code execution in the desktop app. The root cause is that exported note fields such as title, headline, and content are inserted into the generated HTML template without HTML escaping. When the note is later exported to PDF, Notesnook renders that HTML into a same-origin, unsandboxed iframe using iframe.srcdoc = .... Injected script executes in the Notesnook origin. In the desktop app, this becomes RCE because Electron is configured with nodeIntegration: true and contextIsolation: false. This issue has been patched in Notesnook Web/Desktop version 3.3.15 and Notesnook iOS/Android version 3.3.20.

CVSS v3.1 Score

9.6
CRITICAL
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0017
Probability of exploitation
0.38%
Percentile rank

EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-79 Cross-site Scripting (XSS)
CWE-94 CWE-94

Affected Products

Vendor Product
streetwriters notesnook_desktop
streetwriters notesnook_mobile
streetwriters notesnook_mobile

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-42090? +
Notesnook is a note-taking app focused on user privacy & ease of use. Prior to Notesnook Web/Desktop version 3.3.15 and prior to Notesnook iOS/Android version 3.3.20, a stored XSS vulnerability in the note export flow can be escalated to remote code execution in the desktop app. The root cause is that exported note fields such as title, headline, and content are inserted into the generated HTML template without HTML escaping. When the note is later exported to PDF, Notesnook renders that HTML into a same-origin, unsandboxed iframe using iframe.srcdoc = .... Injected script executes in the Notesnook origin. In the desktop app, this becomes RCE because Electron is configured with nodeIntegration: true and contextIsolation: false. This issue has been patched in Notesnook Web/Desktop version 3.3.15 and Notesnook iOS/Android version 3.3.20. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.6 (CRITICAL).
How severe is CVE-2026-42090? +
CVE-2026-42090 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 9.6 out of 10, rated CRITICAL. This is a critical vulnerability that should be patched immediately. The EPSS score is 0.0017, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.
What products are affected by CVE-2026-42090? +
CVE-2026-42090 affects products from streetwriters, specifically: notesnook_desktop, notesnook_mobile. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.
How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-42090? +
You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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