CVE-2021-25975: Publify core Cross Site Scripting Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-3h7v-wqw7-ff28
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CVSS 5.4
CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-25975 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.4) cross site scripting vulnerability (CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')) affecting Publify core libraries in the RubyGems ecosystem. The issue involves cross site scripting in publify. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 9.2.5.

CVE-2021-25975 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-25975
GHSA Identifier GHSA-3h7v-wqw7-ff28
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.4
CWE Classification CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Affected Product Publify core
Package Ecosystem RubyGems
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.4

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Changed (S:C)
Confidentiality Low (C:L)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2021-25975

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Publify core dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

publify_core fixed: 9.2.5 
Upgrade publify_core to 9.2.5
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

inspect dependencies for publify_core

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2021-25975, inspect your project dependencies for Publify core:

inspect dependencies for publify_core

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Publify core in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 9.2.5), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting'), where the product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users. In Publify core, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

In publify, versions v8.0 to v9.2.4 are vulnerable to stored XSS as a result of an unrestricted file upload. This issue allows a user with “publisher” role to inject malicious JavaScript via the uploaded html file.

CVE-2021-25975 Affected Publify core Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
9.2.5
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
publify_core
gem/publify_core
RubyGems
≥ 8.0
< 9.2.5
9.2.5

References

NVD — CVE-2021-25975 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-25975
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/publify/publify/commit/d99c0870d3dbbfde7febdc6cad33199b84770101
Publify core Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/publify/publify
www.whitesourcesoftware.com/vulnerability-datab... WEB
https://www.whitesourcesoftware.com/vulnerability-database/CVE-2021-25974

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-25975?
CVE-2021-25975 is a security vulnerability in Publify core involving Cross site scripting in publify under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting').
Which Publify core versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 9.2.5 across affected packages: publify_core.
What version fixes CVE-2021-25975?
Upgrading to 9.2.5 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is publify_core affected?
Yes, publify_core is affected in releases prior to 9.2.5. Upgrade your dependency to 9.2.5 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-25975?
CVE-2021-25975 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.4 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-25975?
CVE-2021-25975 is classified under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') (The product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users.).
How can I check RubyGems dependencies for CVE-2021-25975?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for publify_core'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-3h7v-wqw7-ff28",
  "modified" : "2022-06-03T15:48:44Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T22:28:08Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-25975" ],
  "summary" : "Cross site scripting in publify",
  "details" : "In publify, versions v8.0 to v9.2.4 are vulnerable to stored XSS as a result of an unrestricted file upload. This issue allows a user with “publisher” role to inject malicious JavaScript via the uploaded html file.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "RubyGems",
      "name" : "publify_core"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "8.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "9.2.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-25975"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/publify/publify/commit/d99c0870d3dbbfde7febdc6cad33199b84770101"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/publify/publify"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.whitesourcesoftware.com/vulnerability-database/CVE-2021-25974"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-06-03T15:48:44Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-11-10T11:15:00Z"
  }
}