CVE-2018-16514: Mantisbt/mantisbt Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-3qv7-98vm-xx2v
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CVSS 6.1
CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-16514 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.1) cross-site scripting vulnerability (CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')) affecting Mantisbt/mantisbt libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves mantisbt cross-site scripting (xss) vulnerability through crafted path_info. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.17.1.

CVE-2018-16514 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-16514
GHSA Identifier GHSA-3qv7-98vm-xx2v
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.1
CWE Classification CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Affected Product Mantisbt/mantisbt
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.1

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
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-2018-16514

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

mantisbt/mantisbt fixed: 2.17.1 
Upgrade mantisbt/mantisbt to 2.17.1
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 mantisbt/mantisbt

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2018-16514, inspect your project dependencies for Mantisbt/mantisbt:

inspect dependencies for mantisbt/mantisbt

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Mantisbt/mantisbt in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.17.1), 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 Mantisbt/mantisbt, 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

A cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the View Filters page (view_filters_page.php) and Edit Filter page (manage_filter_edit_page.php) in MantisBT 2.1.0 through 2.17.0 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary code (if CSP settings permit it) through a crafted PATH_INFO. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2018-13055.

CVE-2018-16514 Affected Mantisbt/mantisbt Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.17.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
mantisbt/mantisbt
 Packagist
≥ 2.1.0
< 2.17.1
2.17.1

References

NVD — CVE-2018-16514 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-16514
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/mantisbt/mantisbt/commit/66091a42626631a3063774eb0fb8a4218ab22fd4
Mantisbt/mantisbt Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/mantisbt/mantisbt
Mantisbt/mantisbt Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/mantisbt/mantisbt/blob/006cd0cd90c37097e1a065fd3e59ce2534490834/core/filter_form_api.php#L2779
mantisbt.org/bugs/view.php WEB
https://mantisbt.org/bugs/view.php?id=24731

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-16514?
CVE-2018-16514 is a security vulnerability in Mantisbt/mantisbt involving MantisBT cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability through crafted PATH_INFO under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting').
Which Mantisbt/mantisbt versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.17.1 across affected packages: mantisbt/mantisbt.
What version fixes CVE-2018-16514?
Upgrading to 2.17.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is mantisbt/mantisbt affected?
Yes, mantisbt/mantisbt is affected in releases prior to 2.17.1. Upgrade your dependency to 2.17.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-16514?
CVE-2018-16514 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.1 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-16514?
CVE-2018-16514 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 Packagist dependencies for CVE-2018-16514?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for mantisbt/mantisbt'. 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-3qv7-98vm-xx2v",
  "modified" : "2025-05-29T15:23:15Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T16:48:31Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-16514" ],
  "summary" : "MantisBT cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability through crafted PATH_INFO",
  "details" : "A cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the View Filters page (view_filters_page.php) and Edit Filter page (manage_filter_edit_page.php) in MantisBT 2.1.0 through 2.17.0 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary code (if CSP settings permit it) through a crafted PATH_INFO. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2018-13055.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "mantisbt/mantisbt"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.1.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.17.1"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 2.17.0"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-16514"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mantisbt/mantisbt/commit/66091a42626631a3063774eb0fb8a4218ab22fd4"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mantisbt/mantisbt"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mantisbt/mantisbt/blob/006cd0cd90c37097e1a065fd3e59ce2534490834/core/filter_form_api.php#L2779"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://mantisbt.org/bugs/view.php?id=24731"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2025-05-29T15:23:15Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2019-06-20T14:15:00Z"
  }
}