CVE-2021-32768: Typo3/cms core Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-c5c9-8c6m-727v
CVSS 6.1
CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-32768 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.1) cross-site scripting vulnerability (CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')) affecting Typo3/cms core libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves cross-site scripting via rich-text content. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 7.6.53, 8.7.42, 10.4.19, 11.3.2, 9.5.29.

CVE-2021-32768 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-32768
GHSA Identifier GHSA-c5c9-8c6m-727v
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 Typo3/cms core
Package Ecosystem Packagist
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:3.1/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-2021-32768

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Typo3/cms core dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

typo3/cms-core fixed: 7.6.53
Upgrade typo3/cms-core to 7.6.53
typo3/cms-core fixed: 8.7.42
Upgrade typo3/cms-core to 8.7.42
typo3/cms-core fixed: 10.4.19
Upgrade typo3/cms-core to 10.4.19
typo3/cms-core fixed: 11.3.2
Upgrade typo3/cms-core to 11.3.2
typo3/cms-core fixed: 9.5.29
Upgrade typo3/cms-core to 9.5.29
typo3/cms fixed: 10.4.19
Upgrade typo3/cms to 10.4.19
typo3/cms fixed: 11.3.2
Upgrade typo3/cms to 11.3.2
typo3/cms fixed: 9.5.29
Upgrade typo3/cms to 9.5.29
typo3/cms fixed: 8.7.42
Upgrade typo3/cms to 8.7.42
typo3/cms fixed: 7.6.53
Upgrade typo3/cms to 7.6.53
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 typo3/cms-core

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2021-32768, inspect your project dependencies for Typo3/cms core:

inspect dependencies for typo3/cms-core

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Typo3/cms core in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 7.6.53), 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 Typo3/cms core, 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

> ### Meta > * CVSS: `CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N/E:F/RL:O/RC` (5.7) ### Problem Failing to properly parse, sanitize and encode malicious rich-text content, the content rendering process in the website frontend is vulnerable to cross-site scripting. Corresponding rendering instructions via TypoScript functionality _[HTMLparser](https://docs.typo3.org/m/typo3/reference-typoscript/10.4/en-us/Functions/Htmlparser.html)_ do not consider all potentially malicious HTML tag & attribute combinations per default. In addition, the lack of comprehensive default node configuration for rich-text fields in the backend user interface fosters this malfunction. In default scenarios, a valid backend user account is needed to exploit this vulnerability. In case custom plugins used in the website frontend accept and reflect rich-text content submitted by users, no authentication is required. ### Solution Update to TYPO3 versions 7.6.53 ELTS, 8.7.42 ELTS, 9.5.29, 10.4.19, 11.3.2 that fix the problem described above. Custom package _[typo3/html-sanitizer](https://github.com/TYPO3/html-sanitizer)_ - based on allow-lists only - takes care of sanitizing potentially malicious markup. The default behavior is based on safe and commonly used markup - however, this can be extended or restricted further in case it is necessary for individual scenarios. During the frontend rendering process, sanitization is applied to the default TypoScript path `lib.parseFunc`, which is implicitly used by the Fluid view-helper instruction `f:format.html`. Rich-text data persisted using the backend user interface is sanitized as well. Implementation details are explained in corresponding [ChangeLog documentation](https://docs.typo3.org/c/typo3/cms-core/master/en-us/Changelog/9.5.x/Important-94484-IntroduceHTMLSanitizer.html). ### Credits Thanks to Benjamin Stiber, Gert-Jan Jansma, Gábor Ács-Kurucz, Alexander Kellner, Richie Lee, Nina Rösch who reported this issue, and to TYPO3 security team member Oliver Hader, as well as TYPO3 contributor Susanne Moog who fixed the issue. ### References * [TYPO3-CORE-SA-2021-013](https://typo3.org/security/advisory/typo3-core-sa-2021-013)

CVE-2021-32768 Affected Typo3/cms core Versions

10 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
7.6.538.7.4210.4.1911.3.29.5.29
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
typo3/cms-core
Packagist
≥ 7.0.0
< 7.6.53
7.6.53
typo3/cms-core
Packagist
≥ 8.0.0
< 8.7.42
8.7.42
typo3/cms-core
Packagist
≥ 10.0.0
< 10.4.19
10.4.19
typo3/cms-core
Packagist
≥ 11.0.0
< 11.3.2
11.3.2
typo3/cms-core
Packagist
≥ 9.0.0
< 9.5.29
9.5.29
typo3/cms
Packagist
≥ 10.0.0
< 10.4.19
10.4.19
typo3/cms
Packagist
≥ 11.0.0
< 11.3.2
11.3.2
typo3/cms
Packagist
≥ 9.0.0
< 9.5.29
9.5.29
typo3/cms
Packagist
≥ 8.0.0
< 8.7.42
8.7.42
typo3/cms
Packagist
≥ 7.0.0
< 7.6.53
7.6.53

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-32768?
CVE-2021-32768 is a security vulnerability in Typo3/cms core involving Cross-Site Scripting via Rich-Text Content under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting').
Which Typo3/cms core versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 7.6.53, 8.7.42, 10.4.19, 11.3.2, 9.5.29 across affected packages: typo3/cms-core, typo3/cms.
What version fixes CVE-2021-32768?
Upgrading to 7.6.53, 8.7.42, 10.4.19, 11.3.2, 9.5.29 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is typo3/cms-core affected?
Yes, typo3/cms-core is affected in releases prior to 7.6.53, 8.7.42, 10.4.19, 11.3.2, 9.5.29. Upgrade your dependency to 7.6.53, 8.7.42, 10.4.19, 11.3.2, 9.5.29 or later.
Is typo3/cms affected?
Yes, typo3/cms is affected in releases prior to 10.4.19, 11.3.2, 9.5.29, 8.7.42, 7.6.53. Upgrade your dependency to 10.4.19, 11.3.2, 9.5.29, 8.7.42, 7.6.53 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-32768?
CVE-2021-32768 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.1 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-32768?
CVE-2021-32768 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-2021-32768?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for typo3/cms-core'. 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
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  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-c5c9-8c6m-727v",
  "modified" : "2024-02-07T18:51:52Z",
  "published" : "2021-08-19T15:53:12Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-32768" ],
  "summary" : "Cross-Site Scripting via Rich-Text Content",
  "details" : "> ### Meta\n> * CVSS: `CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N/E:F/RL:O/RC` (5.7)\n\n### Problem\nFailing to properly parse, sanitize and encode malicious rich-text content, the content rendering process in the website frontend is vulnerable to cross-site scripting. Corresponding rendering instructions via TypoScript functionality _[HTMLparser](https://docs.typo3.org/m/typo3/reference-typoscript/10.4/en-us/Functions/Htmlparser.html)_ do not consider all potentially malicious HTML tag & attribute combinations per default.\n\nIn addition, the lack of comprehensive default node configuration for rich-text fields in the backend user interface fosters this malfunction.\n\nIn default scenarios, a valid backend user account is needed to exploit this vulnerability. In case custom plugins used in the website frontend accept and reflect rich-text content submitted by users, no authentication is required.\n\n### Solution\nUpdate to TYPO3 versions 7.6.53 ELTS, 8.7.42 ELTS, 9.5.29, 10.4.19, 11.3.2 that fix the problem described above.\n\nCustom package _[typo3/html-sanitizer](https://github.com/TYPO3/html-sanitizer)_ - based on allow-lists only - takes care of sanitizing potentially malicious markup. The default behavior is based on safe and commonly used markup - however, this can be extended or restricted further in case it is necessary for individual scenarios.\n\nDuring the frontend rendering process, sanitization is applied to the default TypoScript path `lib.parseFunc`, which is implicitly used by the Fluid view-helper instruction `f:format.html`. Rich-text data persisted using the backend user interface is sanitized as well. Implementation details are explained in corresponding [ChangeLog documentation](https://docs.typo3.org/c/typo3/cms-core/master/en-us/Changelog/9.5.x/Important-94484-IntroduceHTMLSanitizer.html).\n\n### Credits\nThanks to Benjamin Stiber, Gert-Jan Jansma, Gábor Ács-Kurucz, Alexander Kellner, Richie Lee, Nina Rösch who reported this issue, and to TYPO3 security team member Oliver Hader, as well as TYPO3 contributor Susanne Moog who fixed the issue.\n\n### References\n* [TYPO3-CORE-SA-2021-013](https://typo3.org/security/advisory/typo3-core-sa-2021-013)",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
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    },
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  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/TYPO3/TYPO3.CMS/security/advisories/GHSA-c5c9-8c6m-727v"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/TYPO3/typo3/security/advisories/GHSA-c5c9-8c6m-727v"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-32768"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/FriendsOfPHP/security-advisories/blob/master/typo3/cms-core/CVE-2021-32768.yaml"
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    "url" : "https://github.com/FriendsOfPHP/security-advisories/blob/master/typo3/cms/CVE-2021-32768.yaml"
  }, {
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    "url" : "https://typo3.org/security/advisory/typo3-core-sa-2021-013"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
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    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-08-16T22:38:47Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-08-10T17:15:00Z"
  }
}