First published: Fri Jun 21 2024(Updated: )
Joplin is a free, open source note taking and to-do application. A Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability allows an untrusted note opened in safe mode to execute arbitrary code. `packages/renderer/MarkupToHtml.ts` renders note content in safe mode by surrounding it with <pre> and </pre>, without escaping any interior HTML tags. Thus, an attacker can create a note that closes the opening <pre> tag, then includes HTML that runs JavaScript. Because the rendered markdown iframe has the same origin as the toplevel document and is not sandboxed, any scripts running in the preview iframe can access the top variable and, thus, access the toplevel NodeJS `require` function. `require` can then be used to import modules like fs or child_process and run arbitrary commands. This issue has been addressed in version 2.12.9 and all users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.
Credit: security-advisories@github.com
Affected Software | Affected Version | How to fix |
---|---|---|
Joplin | <2.12.9 |
Sign up to SecAlerts for real-time vulnerability data matched to your software, aggregated from hundreds of sources.
The severity of CVE-2023-37898 is categorized as high due to its potential for XSS attacks.
To fix CVE-2023-37898, upgrade to Joplin version 2.12.10 or later where the vulnerability is patched.
CVE-2023-37898 exploits a Cross-site Scripting vulnerability through untrusted notes opened in safe mode.
CVE-2023-37898 affects Joplin versions up to and including 2.12.9.
CVE-2023-37898 can allow attackers to execute arbitrary code if a malicious note is opened in safe mode.