CVE-2018-16481: Html pages Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-5p26-hw7f-3cpr
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CVSS 6.1
CWE-64 CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-16481 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.1) cross-site scripting vulnerability (CWE-64: Windows Shortcut Following (.LNK)) affecting Html pages libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves cross-site scripting in html-pages. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2018-16481 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-16481
GHSA Identifier GHSA-5p26-hw7f-3cpr
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.1
CWE Classification CWE-64: Windows Shortcut Following (.LNK)
Affected Product Html pages
Package Ecosystem npm
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:3.0/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-2018-16481

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

html-pages fixed: Latest secure release 
npm install html-pages@Latest secure release
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 html-pages

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2018-16481, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls html-pages

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

Note: The npm ls html-pages 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-64: Windows Shortcut Following (.LNK), where the product, when opening a file or directory, does not sufficiently handle when the file is a windows shortcut (.lnk) whose target is outside of the intended control sphere. this could allow an attacker to cause the product to operate on unauthorized files. In Html pages, 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

All versions of `html-pages` are vulnerable to Cross-Site Scripting (XSS). The package fails to sanitize folder names, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript in the victim's browser through folders with names containing malicious code. ## Recommendation No fix is currently available. Consider using an alternative package until a fix is made available.

CVE-2018-16481 Affected Html pages Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
html-pages
npm/html-pages
npm
≤ 3.1.0

References

NVD — CVE-2018-16481 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-16481
hackerone.com/reports/330356 WEB
https://hackerone.com/reports/330356
www.npmjs.com/advisories/1001 WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/1001

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-16481?
CVE-2018-16481 is a security vulnerability in Html pages involving Cross-Site Scripting in html-pages under CWE-64: Windows Shortcut Following (.LNK).
Which Html pages versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: html-pages.
What version fixes CVE-2018-16481?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is html-pages affected?
Yes, html-pages is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-16481?
CVE-2018-16481 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.1 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-16481?
CVE-2018-16481 is classified under CWE-64: Windows Shortcut Following (.LNK) (The product, when opening a file or directory, does not sufficiently handle when the file is a Windows shortcut (.LNK) whose target is outside of the intended control sphere. This could allow an attacker to cause the product to operate on unauthorized files.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2018-16481?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls html-pages'. 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-5p26-hw7f-3cpr",
  "modified" : "2023-09-12T20:39:48Z",
  "published" : "2019-02-07T18:14:44Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-16481" ],
  "summary" : "Cross-Site Scripting in html-pages",
  "details" : "All versions of `html-pages` are vulnerable to Cross-Site Scripting (XSS). The package fails to sanitize folder names, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript in the victim's browser through folders with names containing malicious code.\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:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "html-pages"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "3.1.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-16481"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://hackerone.com/reports/330356"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/1001"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-64", "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:16:48Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}