CVE-2016-10531: Marked Sanitization Bypass Using HTML Entities Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-vfvf-mqq8-rwqc
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CVSS 6.1
CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2016-10531 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.1) sanitization bypass using html entities vulnerability (CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')) affecting Marked libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves sanitization bypass using html entities in marked. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.3.6.

CVE-2016-10531 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2016-10531
GHSA Identifier GHSA-vfvf-mqq8-rwqc
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 Marked
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-2016-10531

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

marked fixed: 0.3.6 
npm install marked@0.3.6
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 marked

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2016-10531, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls marked

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Marked in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.3.6), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls marked 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-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 Marked, 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

Affected versions of `marked` are susceptible to a cross-site scripting vulnerability in link components when `sanitize:true` is configured. ## Proof of Concept This flaw exists because link URIs containing HTML entities get processed in an abnormal manner. Any HTML Entities get parsed on a best-effort basis and included in the resulting link, while if that parsing fails that character is omitted. For example: A link URI such as ``` javascript&#x58document;alert(1) ``` Renders a valid link that when clicked will execute `alert(1)`. ## Recommendation Update to version 0.3.6 or later.

CVE-2016-10531 Affected Marked Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.3.6
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
marked
npm/marked
npm
< 0.3.6
0.3.6

References

NVD — CVE-2016-10531 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-10531
Marked Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/chjj/marked/pull/592
Marked Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/chjj/marked/pull/592/commits/2cff85979be8e7a026a9aca35542c470cf5da523
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-vfvf-mqq8-rwqc
www.npmjs.com/advisories/101 WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/101

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2016-10531?
CVE-2016-10531 is a security vulnerability in Marked involving Sanitization bypass using HTML Entities in marked under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting').
Which Marked versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.3.6 across affected packages: marked.
What version fixes CVE-2016-10531?
Upgrading to 0.3.6 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is marked affected?
Yes, marked is affected in releases prior to 0.3.6. Upgrade your dependency to 0.3.6 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2016-10531?
CVE-2016-10531 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-2016-10531?
CVE-2016-10531 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 npm dependencies for CVE-2016-10531?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls marked'. 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-vfvf-mqq8-rwqc",
  "modified" : "2023-09-07T22:23:29Z",
  "published" : "2019-02-18T23:58:20Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2016-10531" ],
  "summary" : "Sanitization bypass using HTML Entities in marked",
  "details" : "Affected versions of `marked` are susceptible to a cross-site scripting vulnerability in link components when `sanitize:true` is configured. \n\n## Proof of Concept\n\nThis flaw exists because link URIs containing HTML entities get processed in an abnormal manner. Any HTML Entities get parsed on a best-effort basis and included in the resulting link, while if that parsing fails that character is omitted.\n\nFor example:\n\nA link URI such as\n```\njavascript&#x58document;alert&#40;1&#41;\n```\nRenders a valid link that when clicked will execute `alert(1)`.\n\n\n## Recommendation\n\nUpdate to version 0.3.6 or later.",
  "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" : "marked"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.3.6"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-10531"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/chjj/marked/pull/592"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/chjj/marked/pull/592/commits/2cff85979be8e7a026a9aca35542c470cf5da523"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-vfvf-mqq8-rwqc"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/101"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:57:38Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}