CVE-2023-28439
ckeditor4 plugins vulnerable to cross-site scripting caused by the editor instance destroying process
At a glance
- Source
- NVD
- EPSS
- EPSS 0.73 % · percentile 54 ()
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Published
- Updated
- Assigner
- GitHub_M
- NVD status
- Modified
Description
CKEditor4 is an open source what-you-see-is-what-you-get HTML editor. A cross-site scripting vulnerability has been discovered affecting Iframe Dialog and Media Embed packages. The vulnerability may trigger a JavaScript code after fulfilling special conditions: using one of the affected packages on a web page with missing proper Content Security Policy configuration; initializing the editor on an element and using an element other than `<textarea>` as a base; and destroying the editor instance. This vulnerability might affect a small percentage of integrators that depend on dynamic editor initialization/destroy mechanism. A fix is available in CKEditor4 version 4.21.0. In some rare cases, a security fix may be considered a breaking change. Starting from version 4.21.0, the Iframe Dialog plugin applies the `sandbox` attribute by default, which restricts JavaScript code execution in the iframe element. To change this behavior, configure the `config.iframe_attributes` option. Also starting from version 4.21.0, the Media Embed plugin regenerates the entire content of the embed widget by default. To change this behavior, configure the `config.embed_keepOriginalContent` option. Those who choose to enable either of the more permissive options or who cannot upgrade to a patched version should properly configure Content Security Policy to avoid any potential security issues that may arise from embedding iframe elements on their web page.
Weaknesses (CWE)
- CWE-79 — Cross-site Scripting (XSS)
References
- https://github.com/ckeditor/ckeditor4/security/advisories/GHSA-vh5c-xwqv-cv9g
- https://ckeditor.com/cke4/addon/embed
- https://ckeditor.com/cke4/addon/iframe
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/GWKG2VCPJNETVCDTXU4X6FQ2PO6XCNGN/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/VCYKD3JZWWA3ESOZG4PHJJEXT4EYIUIQ/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/L4ODGOW6PYVOXHQSMWJBOCE6DXWAI33W/
Scores
| Version | Score | Vector | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | MEDIUM 4.7 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N | GitHub_M |
| CVSS 3.1 | MEDIUM 4.7 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N | NVD · security-advisories@github.com (Secondary) |
| CVSS 3.1 | MEDIUM 6.1 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N | NVD · nvd@nist.gov (Primary) |
European references
- ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2023-32127
- GCVE · GCVE-0-2023-28439
CERT-FR advisories
- CERTFR-2025-AVI-0255 — Multiples vulnérabilités dans les produits IBM · cert.ssi.gouv.fr
- CERTFR-2025-AVI-0233 — Multiples vulnérabilités dans les produits IBM · cert.ssi.gouv.fr
- CERTFR-2024-AVI-0992 — Multiples vulnérabilités dans les produits IBM · cert.ssi.gouv.fr
Affected configurations (NVD CPE)
cpe:2.3:a:ckeditor:ckeditor:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*≥ 4.0 < 4.21.0cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:37:*:*:*:*:*:*:*cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:38:*:*:*:*:*:*:*cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:39:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Affected products
| Product | Versions |
|---|---|
| ckeditor · ckeditor4 | affected < 4.21.0 |
Sources
| Source | Licence |
|---|---|
| CVE List (CVEProject cvelistV5) | CVE Program Terms of Use |
| EPSS (FIRST.org) | FIRST — attribution requested |
| ENISA EUVD | ENISA — reproduction authorised, source acknowledged |
| CERT-FR (ANSSI) | Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0 |
| NVD (NIST) via fkie-cad/nvd-json-data-feeds | Public domain — this product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD |