# CVE-2021-43842: Stored XSS via SVG file upload in Wiki.js

> A malicious user can execute arbitrary JavaScript in other users' browsers by uploading a crafted SVG file to Wiki.js.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.4 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 20 Dec 2021
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-3qv4-gp35-rgh7

## What is CVE-2021-43842?

CVE-2021-43842 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in Requarks wiki, published on 20 Dec 2021. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Wiki.js is a wiki app built on Node.js. Wiki.js versions 2.5.257 and earlier are vulnerable to stored cross-site scripting through a SVG file upload. By creating a crafted SVG file, a malicious Wiki.js user may stage a stored cross-site scripting attack. This allows the attacker to execute malicious JavaScript when the SVG is viewed directly by other users. Scripts do not execute when loaded inside a page via normal `<img>` tags. Commit 5d3e81496fba1f0fbd64eeb855f30f69a9040718 fixes this vulnerability by adding an optional (enabled by default) SVG sanitization step to all file uploads that match the SVG mime type. As a workaround, disable file upload for all non-trusted users. Wiki.js version 2.5.260 is the first production version to contain a patch. Version 2.5.258 is the first development build to contain a patch and is available only as a Docker image as requarks/wiki:canary-2.5.258.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-43842?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Requarks Wiki.js.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-43842?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-43842 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2021-43842 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-43842 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Requarks wiki

- [CVE-2025-56643](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-56643/): Security feature bypass in n/a (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2026-44224](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-44224/): Wiki.js: Privilege Escalation via Missing Group Validation in users.update (high 8.6)
- [CVE-2020-15236](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-15236/): Directory Traversal in Wiki.js (high 8.6)
- [CVE-2021-43855](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-43855/): Stored XSS via SVG in Requarks/wiki (high 8.2)
- [CVE-2021-43856](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-43856/): Stored XSS in non-image uploads in Requarks/wiki (high 8.2)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-43842 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-43842 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in Requarks wiki, published on 20 Dec 2021. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-43842 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Requarks wiki. 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-2021-43842/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-43842/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-43842
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-43842
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-43842

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-43842/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.