CVE-2026-33321
Received Received - Intake
OOB SSRF in OpenEMR PDF Generation via Unescaped HTML

Publication date: 2026-03-19

Last updated on: 2026-03-20

Assigner: GitHub, Inc.

Description
OpenEMR is a free and open source electronic health records and medical practice management application. Prior to 8.0.0.2, users with the `Notes - my encounters` role can fill Eye Exam forms in patient encounters. The answers to the form can be printed out in PDF form. An Out-of-Band Server-Side Request Forgery (OOB SSRF) vulnerability was identified in the PDF creation function where the form answers are parsed as unescaped HTML, allowing an attacker to forge requests from the server made to external or internal resources. Version 8.0.0.2 fixes the issue.
CVSS Scores
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Meta Information
Published
2026-03-19
Last Modified
2026-03-20
Generated
2026-05-07
AI Q&A
2026-03-19
EPSS Evaluated
2026-05-05
NVD
EUVD
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
open-emr openemr to 8.0.0.2 (exc)
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
CWE
CWE Icon
KEV
KEV Icon
CWE ID Description
CWE-918 The web server receives a URL or similar request from an upstream component and retrieves the contents of this URL, but it does not sufficiently ensure that the request is being sent to the expected destination.
Attack-Flow Graph
AI Powered Q&A
How does this vulnerability affect compliance with common standards and regulations (like GDPR, HIPAA)?:

I don't know


Can you explain this vulnerability to me?

[{'type': 'paragraph', 'content': 'CVE-2026-33321 is a high severity Out-of-Band Server-Side Request Forgery (OOB SSRF) vulnerability in OpenEMR versions up to 8.0.0.1. It occurs in the PDF creation function of the Eye Exam form within patient encounters, where answers entered by users with the "Notes - my encounters" role are parsed as unescaped HTML.'}, {'type': 'paragraph', 'content': 'This allows an attacker to inject malicious HTML tags, such as an <img> tag, causing the OpenEMR server to make unauthorized HTTP requests to external or internal resources. The vulnerability arises because the form answers are not properly sanitized before being included in the PDF report.'}] [1]


How can this vulnerability impact me? :

The impacts of this vulnerability include:

  • Disclosure of the server’s real IP address.
  • Probing of internal services or servers.
  • Generation of large volumes of traffic to unintended resources, potentially causing the server to be blacklisted.
  • Downloading arbitrary images or files into the system and patient records.
  • Other unspecified attacks leveraging the SSRF vector.

How can this vulnerability be detected on my network or system? Can you suggest some commands?

[{'type': 'paragraph', 'content': 'This vulnerability can be detected by monitoring for unauthorized HTTP requests originating from the OpenEMR server, especially those triggered during PDF generation of Eye Exam forms.'}, {'type': 'paragraph', 'content': 'One practical detection method is to check logs or network traffic for outbound requests to unusual or attacker-controlled external URLs, such as webhook.site or other unexpected domains.'}, {'type': 'paragraph', 'content': 'Additionally, reviewing the Eye Exam form inputs for injected HTML tags like <img> tags in the HPI field or other form fields can help identify exploitation attempts.'}, {'type': 'paragraph', 'content': 'Suggested commands include:'}, {'type': 'list_item', 'content': "Use network monitoring tools (e.g., tcpdump or Wireshark) to capture outbound HTTP requests from the OpenEMR server: tcpdump -i eth0 'tcp dst port 80 or 443'"}, {'type': 'list_item', 'content': "Search web server logs for unusual outbound requests or URLs: grep -i 'http' /var/log/apache2/access.log"}, {'type': 'list_item', 'content': 'Inspect the Eye Exam form data in the database for suspicious HTML content, for example using SQL queries to find <img> tags or external URLs.'}] [1]


What immediate steps should I take to mitigate this vulnerability?

[{'type': 'paragraph', 'content': 'The immediate and recommended mitigation is to update OpenEMR to version 8.0.0.2 or later, where the vulnerability has been fixed by sanitizing form output to prevent injection of unescaped HTML in the PDF generation process.'}, {'type': 'paragraph', 'content': "Until the update can be applied, restrict or review user roles that have the 'Notes - my encounters' permission, as these roles can exploit the vulnerability."}, {'type': 'paragraph', 'content': 'Monitor and block suspicious outbound HTTP requests from the server to prevent exploitation and data leakage.'}, {'type': 'paragraph', 'content': "Consider applying network-level controls such as firewall rules to limit the server's ability to make arbitrary outbound HTTP requests."}] [1]


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