CVE-2018-25047: Smarty/smarty Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-hwq7-5vv9-c6cf
Share
CVSS 5.4
CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-25047 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.4) cross-site scripting vulnerability (CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')) affecting Smarty/smarty libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves smarty cross-site scripting vulnerability in pages that use smarty_function_mailto. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.1.47, 4.2.1.

CVE-2018-25047 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-25047
GHSA Identifier GHSA-hwq7-5vv9-c6cf
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 Smarty/smarty
Package Ecosystem Packagist
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-2018-25047

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

smarty/smarty fixed: 3.1.47 
Upgrade smarty/smarty to 3.1.47
smarty/smarty fixed: 4.2.1 
Upgrade smarty/smarty to 4.2.1
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 smarty/smarty

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2018-25047, inspect your project dependencies for Smarty/smarty:

inspect dependencies for smarty/smarty

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Smarty/smarty in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.1.47), 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 Smarty/smarty, 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 Smarty before 3.1.47 and 4.x before 4.2.1, `libs/plugins/function.mailto.php` allows cross-site scripting. A web page that uses `smarty_function_mailto`, and that could be parameterized using GET or POST input parameters, could allow injection of JavaScript code by a user.

CVE-2018-25047 Affected Smarty/smarty Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.1.474.2.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
smarty/smarty
 Packagist
< 3.1.47
3.1.47
smarty/smarty
 Packagist
≥ 4.0.0
< 4.2.1
4.2.1

References

NVD — CVE-2018-25047 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-25047
Smarty/smarty Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/smarty-php/smarty/issues/454
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/smarty-php/smarty/commit/55ea25d1f50f0406fb1ccedd212c527977793fc9
bugs.gentoo.org/870100 WEB
https://bugs.gentoo.org/870100
Smarty/smarty Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/FriendsOfPHP/security-advisories/blob/master/smarty/smarty/CVE-2018-25047.yaml
Smarty/smarty Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/smarty-php/smarty
Smarty/smarty Release RELEASE
https://github.com/smarty-php/smarty/releases/tag/v3.1.47
Smarty/smarty Release RELEASE
https://github.com/smarty-php/smarty/releases/tag/v4.2.1
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce... WEB
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/01/msg00002.html
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce... WEB
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/11/msg00013.html
Smarty/smarty Security Information SECURITY
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202209-09

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-25047?
CVE-2018-25047 is a security vulnerability in Smarty/smarty involving Smarty Cross-site Scripting vulnerability in pages that use smarty_function_mailto under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting').
Which Smarty/smarty versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.1.47, 4.2.1 across affected packages: smarty/smarty.
What version fixes CVE-2018-25047?
Upgrading to 3.1.47, 4.2.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is smarty/smarty affected?
Yes, smarty/smarty is affected in releases prior to 3.1.47, 4.2.1. Upgrade your dependency to 3.1.47, 4.2.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-25047?
CVE-2018-25047 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-2018-25047?
CVE-2018-25047 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-2018-25047?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for smarty/smarty'. 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-hwq7-5vv9-c6cf",
  "modified" : "2025-11-04T16:39:18Z",
  "published" : "2022-09-16T00:00:39Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-25047" ],
  "summary" : "Smarty Cross-site Scripting vulnerability in pages that use smarty_function_mailto",
  "details" : "In Smarty before 3.1.47 and 4.x before 4.2.1, `libs/plugins/function.mailto.php` allows cross-site scripting. A web page that uses `smarty_function_mailto`, and that could be parameterized using GET or POST input parameters, could allow injection of JavaScript code by a user.",
  "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" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "smarty/smarty"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.1.47"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "smarty/smarty"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.2.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-25047"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/smarty-php/smarty/issues/454"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/smarty-php/smarty/commit/55ea25d1f50f0406fb1ccedd212c527977793fc9"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugs.gentoo.org/870100"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/FriendsOfPHP/security-advisories/blob/master/smarty/smarty/CVE-2018-25047.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/smarty-php/smarty"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/smarty-php/smarty/releases/tag/v3.1.47"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/smarty-php/smarty/releases/tag/v4.2.1"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/01/msg00002.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/11/msg00013.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202209-09"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-09-16T21:59:38Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-09-15T00:15:00Z"
  }
}