Is this vulnerability remotely exploitable over the network?

Yes, but only by authenticated users who can access the Eye Exam form and trigger PDF generation. The attack can be conducted over standard web access to the OpenEMR instance; no local shell access is required.

What level of access does an attacker need to exploit this issue?

The attacker needs an account with at least the `Notes - my encounters` role (or another role with equivalent permissions) that allows filling Eye Exam forms and generating PDFs for those encounters.

What is the safest general fix pattern for this kind of vulnerability?

The safest fix is to ensure that all user-supplied data is properly encoded for the output context before rendering—here, HTML destined for PDF generation. This typically means treating user input as plain text, or, if limited HTML is necessary, sanitizing it with a strict allowlist and preventing user control over resource paths.

Severity:

HIGH RISK

(8.1)

Improper Output Encoding (CWE-116) in OpenEMR Eye Exam PDF Generation

CVE-2026-33301

Published:

Mar 19, 2026

Status:

Analyzed

Summary

Affected Context

Exploit Preconditions

Why This Happens

Potential Impact

General Mitigation Guidance

How Teams Detect Issues Like This

Frequently Asked Questions

Source

NDV

Recent Vulnerabilities

CWE-918

HIGH RISK

HIGH

(8.6)

Server-Side Request Forgery (CWE-918) in OpenClaw Zalo Plugin sendPhoto

Unauthorized Access to Internal Resources via SSRF

May 6, 2026

CWE-863

HIGH RISK

HIGH

(8.8)

Authorization Bypass (CWE-863) in OpenClaw Matrix Room Control Commands

Privilege Escalation via Bypassed Access Control

May 6, 2026

Vulnerability Type

Category:

Improper Output Encoding

CWE:

CWE-116

Impact:

Arbitrary File Read via PDF Generation

Severity:

HIGH RISK

(8.1)

CVSS Version:

3.1

Vulnerability Type

Category:

Improper Output Encoding

CWE:

CWE-116

Impact:

Arbitrary File Read via PDF Generation

Severity:

HIGH RISK

(8.1)

CVSS Version:

3.1

Catch This CVE While Code Is Being Written

Detect vulnerable code directly in pull requests, so CVEs are fixed before merge.

Get Started

Ship clean & secure code faster

Start Free Trial

Get Pentest Report

Ship clean & secure code faster

Start Free Trial

Get Pentest Report

Ship clean & secure code faster

Start Free Trial

Get Pentest Report

CodeAnt AI is an offensive and defensive security platform.

Defensive + offensive security.

From first line of code to a pentest
that knows every line of it.

SOC 2 Type II certified | CodeAnt AI is independently audited and compliant with SOC 2 Type II security standards

Ask AI for summary of CodeAnt

Defensive + offensive security.

From first line of code to a pentest
that knows every line of it.

Ask AI for summary of CodeAnt

Defensive + offensive security.

From first line of code to a pentest
that knows every line of it.

Ask AI for summary of CodeAnt

Improper Output Encoding (CWE-116) in OpenEMR Eye Exam PDF Generation

Summary

Affected Context

Exploit Preconditions

Why This Happens

Potential Impact

General Mitigation Guidance

How Teams Detect Issues Like This

Frequently Asked Questions

Source

Recent Vulnerabilities

HIGH RISK

HIGH

(8.6)

Server-Side Request Forgery (CWE-918) in OpenClaw Zalo Plugin sendPhoto

HIGH RISK

HIGH

(8.8)

Authorization Bypass (CWE-863) in OpenClaw Matrix Room Control Commands

Vulnerability Type

Vulnerability Type

Vulnerability Type

Catch This CVE While Code Is Being Written

Ship clean & secure code faster

Ship clean & secure code faster

Ship clean & secure code faster

Product

Compare

Company

Developers

Legal

Product

Compare

Company

Developers

Legal

Product

Compare

Company

Developers

Legal