CVE-2025-3261: Application ThingsBoard Allows An Authenticated User Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-5p82-2q3r-wj3m
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CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2025-3261 is a MODERATE thingsboard allows an authenticated user vulnerability (CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')) affecting Application libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves thingsboard allows an authenticated user to upload malicious svg images. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.2.1.

CVE-2025-3261 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2025-3261
GHSA Identifier GHSA-5p82-2q3r-wj3m
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Affected Product Application
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2025-3261

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

org.thingsboard:application fixed: 4.2.1 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.thingsboard</groupId>
    <artifactId>application</artifactId>
    <version>4.2.1</version>
</dependency>
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

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

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.thingsboard

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2025-3261, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.thingsboard

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Application in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 4.2.1), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.thingsboard command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

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 Application, 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

ThingsBoard in versions prior to v4.2.1 allows an authenticated user to upload malicious SVG images via the "Image Gallery", leading to a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability. The exploit can be triggered when any user accesses the public API endpoint of the malicious SVG images, or if the malicious images are embedded in an `iframe` element, during a widget creation, deployed to any page of the platform (e.g., dashboards), and accessed during normal operations. The vulnerability resides in the `ImageController`, which fails to restrict the execution of JavaScript code when an image is loaded by the user's browser. This vulnerability can lead to the execution of malicious code in the context of other users' sessions, potentially compromising their accounts and allowing unauthorized actions.

CVE-2025-3261 Affected Application Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.2.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.thingsboard:application
maven/org.thingsboard/application
Maven
< 4.2.1
4.2.1

References

NVD — CVE-2025-3261 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-3261
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/thingsboard/thingsboard/commit/b2ae6f92d12206ea185a2e882945a6b69234bf03
advisory.checkmarx.net/advisory/cve-2025-3... WEB
https://advisory.checkmarx.net/advisory/CVE-2025-3261
Application Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/thingsboard/thingsboard

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-3261?
CVE-2025-3261 is a security vulnerability in Application involving ThingsBoard allows an authenticated user to upload malicious SVG images under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting').
Which Application versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.2.1 across affected packages: org.thingsboard:application.
What version fixes CVE-2025-3261?
Upgrading to 4.2.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is application affected?
Yes, org.thingsboard:application is affected in releases prior to 4.2.1. Upgrade your dependency to 4.2.1 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2025-3261?
CVE-2025-3261 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 Maven dependencies for CVE-2025-3261?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.thingsboard'. 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-5p82-2q3r-wj3m",
  "modified" : "2025-12-01T23:57:42Z",
  "published" : "2025-11-27T18:30:26Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2025-3261" ],
  "summary" : "ThingsBoard allows an authenticated user to upload malicious SVG images",
  "details" : "ThingsBoard in versions prior to v4.2.1 allows an authenticated user to upload malicious SVG images via the \"Image Gallery\", leading to a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability. The exploit can be triggered when any user accesses the public API endpoint of the malicious SVG images, or if the malicious images are embedded in an `iframe` element, during a widget creation, deployed to any page of the platform (e.g., dashboards), and accessed during normal operations. The vulnerability resides in the `ImageController`, which fails to restrict the execution of JavaScript code when an image is loaded by the user's browser. This vulnerability can lead to the execution of malicious code in the context of other users' sessions, potentially compromising their accounts and allowing unauthorized actions.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:P/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:H/SI:L/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.thingsboard:application"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.2.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-3261"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/thingsboard/thingsboard/commit/b2ae6f92d12206ea185a2e882945a6b69234bf03"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://advisory.checkmarx.net/advisory/CVE-2025-3261"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/thingsboard/thingsboard"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2025-12-01T23:57:42Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2025-11-27T18:15:46Z"
  }
}