GHSA-h9g5-28mm-hx3g: XSS
Summary
The Context.JSONP, Context.JSONPBlob, and internal jsonPBlob helper in context.go directly concatenate the caller-supplied callback parameter into a JavaScript response without any validation, escaping, or allow-listing.
This creates a high-impact reflected XSS that can be triggered by any route passing attacker-controlled data (query string, form, header, path param, etc.) into the callback.
Present in current master and v5.1.0 (latest release).
Vulnerable Code (verbatim)
go func (c Context) jsonPBlob(code int, callback string, i any) (err error) { c.writeContentType(MIMEApplicationJavaScriptCharsetUTF8) c.response.WriteHeader(code) if , err = c.response.Write([]byte(callback + "(")); err != nil { return } if err = c.echo.JSONSerializer.Serialize(c, i, ""); err != nil { return } if , err = c.response.Write([]byte(");")); err != nil { return } return }
func (c Context) JSONP(code int, callback string, i any) (err error) { return c.jsonPBlob(code, callback, i) }
func (c Context) JSONPBlob(code int, callback string, b []byte) (err error) { c.writeContentType(MIMEApplicationJavaScriptCharsetUTF8) c.response.WriteHeader(code) if , err = c.response.Write([]byte(callback + "(")); err != nil { return } if , err = c.response.Write(b); err != nil { return } , err = c.response.Write([]byte(");")) return } No sanitization is performed on the callback string.
Exploit (one-request repro) Any route using the official pattern is vulnerable: Goe.GET("/api", func(c echo.Context) error { return c.JSONP(200, c.QueryParam("callback"), map[string]string{"status": "ok"}) }) Attacker request: GET /api?callback=alert(document.domain)%2f%2f HTTP/1.1 Host: target.com Server response: Content-Type: application/javascript; charset=utf-8
alert(document.domain)//({"status":"ok"}); → Immediate arbitrary JavaScript execution (full reflected XSS). Impact
- Session hijacking, cookie theft, account takeover, keylogging, defacement. - Works even with strict CSP (response is served as application/javascript).
Affected Versions
- All versions ≤ v5.1.0 (including current master)
Workarounds Manually sanitize the callback before calling JSONP/JSONPBlob: Gofunc safeCallback(cb string) string { if matched, := regexp.MatchString(^[a-zA-Z0-9.\[\]]+$, cb); !matched { return "callback" } return cb } Or migrate away from JSONP entirely (use CORS + application/json). References
- https://github.com/labstack/echo/blob/master/context.go - https://echo.labstack.com/docs/cookbook/jsonp
Patches
Fixed in github.com/labstack/echo/v5 v5.4.0 and github.com/labstack/echo/v4 v4.16.0. Context.JSONP and Context.JSONPBlob accept only a callback that is empty, a JavaScript identifier or a dot-separated path of identifiers (ASCII letters, digits, and $); any other callback returns a 400 Bad Request error wrapping ErrInvalidJSONPCallback and nothing is written. JSONP responses also carry X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff.
Workarounds
Validate the callback in your handler before calling Context.JSONP, for example against ^[A-Za-z$][A-Za-z0-9$](\.[A-Za-z$][A-Za-z0-9$])$, and set X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff. JSONP responses can be read by any website with the user's cookies, so do not serve data that requires authentication through JSONP.
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Upgrade
Upgrade
go/github.com/labstack/echo/v4to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 4.16.0 - Upgrade
Upgrade
go/github.com/labstack/echo/v5to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.4.0 - Upgrade
Upgrade
github.com/labstack/echo/v5to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in v5.4.0 - Upgrade
Upgrade
github.com/labstack/echo/v4to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in v4.16.0 - Configuration
Validate the callback in the handler before calling Context.JSONP or Context.JSONPBlob, and set X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff.
Echo JSONP handlers callback validation and X-Content-Type-Options = Validate against ^[A-Za-z_$][A-Za-z0-9_$]*(\.[A-Za-z_$][A-Za-z0-9_$]*)*$; nosniff - Configuration
Migrate away from JSONP entirely by using CORS with application/json; do not serve data requiring authentication through JSONP.
Echo JSONP JSONP usage = disabled
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
Which applications are exposed?
Applications using go/github.com/labstack/echo/v4 or go/github.com/labstack/echo/v5 are exposed when a route passes attacker-controlled input into Context.JSONP, Context.JSONPBlob, or the internal jsonPBlob helper as the callback value. The affected input can originate from a query string, form, header, or path parameter.
What does an attacker need to exploit this?
An attacker needs network access and a way to cause a user to interact with a crafted request or response. No privileges are required, but the application must use an attacker-controlled callback value in one of the affected JSONP functions.
How can we identify affected code paths?
Review routes and handlers for calls to Context.JSONP or Context.JSONPBlob, and trace the callback argument back to request-controlled sources. Any callback value that is not validated, escaped, or restricted by an allow-list can be inserted directly into the JavaScript response.
Are the currently identified releases affected?
The issue is stated to be present in current master and v5.1.0, the latest release at the time of publication. No unaffected version is provided in the available data.