CVE-2018-16459: Exceljs Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-2j2j-8rrv-264g
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CVSS 6.1
CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-16459 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.1) cross-site scripting vulnerability (CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')) affecting Exceljs libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves cross-site scripting in exceljs. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.6.0.

CVE-2018-16459 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-16459
GHSA Identifier GHSA-2j2j-8rrv-264g
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 Exceljs
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-2018-16459

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

exceljs fixed: 1.6.0 
npm install exceljs@1.6.0
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 exceljs

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2018-16459, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls exceljs

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Exceljs in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.6.0), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls exceljs 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 Exceljs, 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 `exceljs` before 1.6.0 are vulnerable to cross-site scripting. This vulnerability is due to `exceljs` not validating data from parsed XLSX file and embedding HTML tags, like `<script>` directly into the sheet cells. Because of this it's possible to inject malicious JavaScript code and execute it when data from the sheet is displayed in the browser. ## Recommendation Update to version 1.6.0 or later.

CVE-2018-16459 Affected Exceljs Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.6.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
exceljs
npm/exceljs
npm
< 1.6.0
1.6.0

References

NVD — CVE-2018-16459 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-16459
hackerone.com/reports/356809 WEB
https://hackerone.com/reports/356809
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-2j2j-8rrv-264g
Exceljs Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/nodejs/security-wg/blob/master/vuln/npm/464.json
www.npmjs.com/advisories/733 WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/733

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-16459?
CVE-2018-16459 is a security vulnerability in Exceljs involving Cross-Site Scripting in exceljs under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting').
Which Exceljs versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.6.0 across affected packages: exceljs.
What version fixes CVE-2018-16459?
Upgrading to 1.6.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is exceljs affected?
Yes, exceljs is affected in releases prior to 1.6.0. Upgrade your dependency to 1.6.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-16459?
CVE-2018-16459 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-2018-16459?
CVE-2018-16459 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-2018-16459?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls exceljs'. 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-2j2j-8rrv-264g",
  "modified" : "2023-09-13T18:50:53Z",
  "published" : "2018-09-11T18:58:40Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-16459" ],
  "summary" : "Cross-Site Scripting in exceljs",
  "details" : "Versions of `exceljs` before 1.6.0 are vulnerable to cross-site scripting. \n\nThis vulnerability is due to `exceljs` not validating data from parsed XLSX file and embedding HTML tags, like `<script>` directly into the sheet cells. Because of this it's possible to inject malicious JavaScript code and execute it when data from the sheet is displayed in the browser.\n\n\n\n\n## Recommendation\n\nUpdate to version 1.6.0 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" : "exceljs"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.6.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-16459"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://hackerone.com/reports/356809"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-2j2j-8rrv-264g"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/nodejs/security-wg/blob/master/vuln/npm/464.json"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/733"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T20:52:14Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}