GHSA-588m-9qg5-35pq: Quill Reverse Tabnabbing Vulnerability

MODERATE
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CVSS 6.5
CWE-1022
Published
Advisory Summary

GHSA-588m-9qg5-35pq is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.5) reverse tabnabbing vulnerability (CWE-1022: Use of Web Link to Untrusted Target with window.opener Access) affecting Quill libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves reverse tabnabbing in quill. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.3.7.

GHSA-588m-9qg5-35pq at a Glance

CVE Identifier N/A
GHSA Identifier GHSA-588m-9qg5-35pq
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.5
CWE Classification CWE-1022: Use of Web Link to Untrusted Target with window.opener Access
Affected Product Quill
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.5

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:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).

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

How to Fix GHSA-588m-9qg5-35pq

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

quill fixed: 1.3.7 
npm install quill@1.3.7
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

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

npm ls quill

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by GHSA-588m-9qg5-35pq, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls quill

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Quill in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.3.7), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls quill command inspects dependencies declared in your package.json and lockfile; it does not perform automated runtime dynamic scanning.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-1022: Use of Web Link to Untrusted Target with window.opener Access, where the web application produces links to untrusted external sites outside of its sphere of control, but it does not properly prevent the external site from modifying security-critical properties of the window.opener object, such as the location property. In Quill, 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

Versions of `quill` prior to 1.3.7 are vulnerable to [Reverse Tabnabbing](https://www.owasp.org/index.php/Reverse_Tabnabbing). The package uses `target='_blank'` in anchor tags, allowing attackers to access `window.opener` for the original page when opening links. This is commonly used for phishing attacks. ## Recommendation No fix is currently available. Consider using an alternative package until a fix is made available.

GHSA-588m-9qg5-35pq Affected Quill Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.3.7
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
quill
npm/quill
npm
< 1.3.7
1.3.7

References

Quill Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/quilljs/quill/issues/2438
Quill Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/quilljs/quill/pull/2674
Quill Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/quilljs/quill
www.npmjs.com/advisories/1039 WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/1039

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GHSA-588m-9qg5-35pq?
GHSA-588m-9qg5-35pq is a security vulnerability in Quill involving Reverse Tabnabbing in quill under CWE-1022: Use of Web Link to Untrusted Target with window.opener Access.
Which Quill versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.3.7 across affected packages: quill.
What version fixes GHSA-588m-9qg5-35pq?
Upgrading to 1.3.7 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is quill affected?
Yes, quill is affected in releases prior to 1.3.7. Upgrade your dependency to 1.3.7 or later.
What is the CVSS score of GHSA-588m-9qg5-35pq?
GHSA-588m-9qg5-35pq has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with GHSA-588m-9qg5-35pq?
GHSA-588m-9qg5-35pq is classified under CWE-1022: Use of Web Link to Untrusted Target with window.opener Access (The web application produces links to untrusted external sites outside of its sphere of control, but it does not properly prevent the external site from modifying security-critical properties of the window.opener object, such as the location property.).
How can I check npm dependencies for GHSA-588m-9qg5-35pq?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls quill'. 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-588m-9qg5-35pq",
  "modified" : "2021-09-28T22:06:18Z",
  "published" : "2020-09-03T17:19:09Z",
  "aliases" : [ ],
  "summary" : "Reverse Tabnabbing in quill",
  "details" : "Versions of `quill` prior to 1.3.7 are vulnerable to [Reverse Tabnabbing](https://www.owasp.org/index.php/Reverse_Tabnabbing). The package uses `target='_blank'` in anchor tags, allowing attackers to access `window.opener` for the original page when opening links. This is commonly used for phishing attacks.\n\n\n## Recommendation\n\nNo fix is currently available. Consider using an alternative package until a fix is made available.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "quill"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.3.7"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/quilljs/quill/issues/2438"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/quilljs/quill/pull/2674"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/quilljs/quill"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/1039"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-1022" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-08-31T18:45:03Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}