CVE-2026-42090 | Notesnook: RCE via stored XSS in note export rendering

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.

Published: 2026-05-04 Last update: 2026-05-12 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Analyzed，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2026-42090 is rated Moderate Risk (51/100): CVSS Critical severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.16%). Review affected assets and schedule remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2026-42090

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-05-05 — 0.16% —

Full EPSS history (1 record total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2026-42090

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
9.6 3.1 CRITICAL
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:R)
A real person has to do something—click, install, enable—otherwise it doesn’t land.
Scope (S:C)
Breaking this can reach past the original component and bite other resources—bigger blast radius.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 2.8 6.0 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2026-42090

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2026-42090

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
streetwriters notesnook_desktop < 3.3.15 cpe:2.3:a:streetwriters:notesnook_desktop:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
streetwriters notesnook_mobile < 3.3.20 cpe:2.3:a:streetwriters:notesnook_mobile:*:*:*:*:*:android:*:*
streetwriters notesnook_mobile < 3.3.20 cpe:2.3:a:streetwriters:notesnook_mobile:*:*:*:*:*:iphone_os:*:*

References for CVE-2026-42090

cvelogic Threat Intelligence