CVE-2018-1999024: Mathjax Macro Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-3c48-6pcv-88rm
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CVSS 5.4
CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-1999024 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.4) macro vulnerability (CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')) affecting Mathjax libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves macro in mathjax running untrusted javascript within a web browser. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.7.4.

CVE-2018-1999024 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-1999024
GHSA Identifier GHSA-3c48-6pcv-88rm
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 Mathjax
Package Ecosystem npm
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:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/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 Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality Low (C:L)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2018-1999024

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

mathjax fixed: 2.7.4 
npm install mathjax@2.7.4
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 mathjax

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2018-1999024, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls mathjax

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Mathjax in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.7.4), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls mathjax 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 Mathjax, 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

MathJax version prior to version 2.7.4 contains a Cross Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the `\unicode{}` macro that can result in Potentially untrusted Javascript running within a web browser. This attack appear to be exploitable via The victim must view a page where untrusted content is processed using Mathjax. This vulnerability appears to have been fixed in 2.7.4 and later.

CVE-2018-1999024 Affected Mathjax Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.7.4
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
mathjax
npm/mathjax
npm
< 2.7.4
2.7.4

References

NVD — CVE-2018-1999024 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-1999024
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/mathjax/MathJax/commit/a55da396c18cafb767a26aa9ad96f6f4199852f1
blog.bentkowski.info/2018/06/xss-in-goog... WEB
https://blog.bentkowski.info/2018/06/xss-in-google-colaboratory-csp-bypass.html
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-3c48-6pcv-88rm
Mathjax Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/mathjax/MathJax

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-1999024?
CVE-2018-1999024 is a security vulnerability in Mathjax involving Macro in MathJax running untrusted Javascript within a web browser under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting').
Which Mathjax versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.7.4 across affected packages: mathjax.
What version fixes CVE-2018-1999024?
Upgrading to 2.7.4 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is mathjax affected?
Yes, mathjax is affected in releases prior to 2.7.4. Upgrade your dependency to 2.7.4 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-1999024?
CVE-2018-1999024 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.4 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-1999024?
CVE-2018-1999024 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-2018-1999024?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls mathjax'. 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-3c48-6pcv-88rm",
  "modified" : "2023-09-11T16:16:25Z",
  "published" : "2018-07-27T17:05:27Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-1999024" ],
  "summary" : "Macro in MathJax running untrusted Javascript within a web browser",
  "details" : "MathJax version prior to version 2.7.4 contains a Cross Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the `\\unicode{}` macro that can result in Potentially untrusted Javascript running within a web browser. This attack appear to be exploitable via The victim must view a page where untrusted content is processed using Mathjax. This vulnerability appears to have been fixed in 2.7.4 and later.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "mathjax"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.7.4"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-1999024"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mathjax/MathJax/commit/a55da396c18cafb767a26aa9ad96f6f4199852f1"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://blog.bentkowski.info/2018/06/xss-in-google-colaboratory-csp-bypass.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-3c48-6pcv-88rm"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mathjax/MathJax"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T20:54:43Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}