# CVE-2018-16623: Cross-site scripting in n/a

> Persistent XSS in Kirby CMS allows attackers to inject scripts via site titles, potentially leading to session hijacking or code execution.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.8 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 13 May 2019
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-3vxc-f4m6-vwxh

## What is CVE-2018-16623?

CVE-2018-16623 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in n/a, published on 13 May 2019. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Kirby V2.5.12 is prone to a Persistent XSS attack via the Title of the "Site options" in the admin panel dashboard dropdown.

Weakness: CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-16623?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Getkirby Kirby.

## How do I fix CVE-2018-16623?

No fix has been published for CVE-2018-16623 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2018-16623 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-16623 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2024-26483](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-26483/): Kirby vulnerable to unrestricted file upload of user avatar images (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2024-41964](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-41964/): Insufficient permission checks in the language settings in Kirby CMS (high 8.1)
- [CVE-2026-34587](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-34587/): Kirby has Server-Side Template Injection (SSTI) via double template resolution in option rendering (high 7.6)
- [CVE-2021-29460](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-29460/): Cross-site scripting (XSS) from unsanitized uploaded SVG files (high 7.6)
- [CVE-2023-38489](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-38489/): Kirby vulnerable to Insufficient Session Expiration after a password change (high 7.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2018-16623 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2018-16623 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in n/a, published on 13 May 2019. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-16623 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: n/a. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-16623/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-16623/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-16623
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-16623
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2018-16623

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-16623/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.