Summary
Laravel Backpack CRUD: Stored XSS in the color column, the @if($column['escaped']) branches are inverted
The Blade template for the color column type (src/resources/views/crud/columns/color.blade.php) has its escaped/unescaped rendering branches inverted relative to every other column template in the library. Because $column['escaped'] defaults to true, values stored in color columns are rendered unescaped by default, enabling Stored XSS if column values are not validated before storage.
Details
All other column templates in src/resources/views/crud/columns/ follow the convention:
$column['escaped'] == true→{{ $column['text'] }}(HTML-escaped)$column['escaped'] == false→{!! $column['text'] !!}(raw)
The color template has these branches swapped. An attacker who can write an arbitrary string to a color-typed column can inject JavaScript that executes in the browser of any user who views the list, including administrators, with access to their session cookies and CSRF tokens.
Workarounds
Validate stored color values against a strict CSS color grammar (e.g. /^#[0-9a-fA-F]{3,6}$/) at the model layer before data reaches the view.
Credits
Reported by Vishal Shukla (@shukla304) via sechub.dev.
Impact
Stored XSS with scope change (attacker context runs in victim's browser). Highest-risk target is an administrator viewing the list view. Exploitability requires the ability to write an unsanitized value into a color-typed column.
Untrusted input is rendered as active markup in a victim's browser, which can run script in their session. Typical impact: session or credential theft, and actions taken as the user.
CVE-2026-54181 has a CVSS score of 5.4 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and user interaction required. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (6.8.14, 7.0.38); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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Fixed in 6.8.14 and 7.0.38 by correcting the branch order in color.blade.php. See PR #5992.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2026-54181? CVE-2026-54181 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in backpack/crud (composer), affecting versions >= 6.0.0, < 6.8.14. It is fixed in 6.8.14, 7.0.38. Untrusted input is rendered as active markup in a victim's browser, which can run script in their session.
- How severe is CVE-2026-54181? CVE-2026-54181 has a CVSS score of 5.4 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which versions of backpack/crud are affected by CVE-2026-54181? backpack/crud (composer) versions >= 6.0.0, < 6.8.14 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-54181? Yes. CVE-2026-54181 is fixed in 6.8.14, 7.0.38. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2026-54181 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-54181 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2026-54181 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2026-54181?
- Upgrade
backpack/crudto 6.8.14 or later - Upgrade
backpack/crudto 7.0.38 or later
- Upgrade