# CVE-2022-21158: Cross-site scripting in MarkText

> Attackers can execute arbitrary scripts on user machines via malicious links in MarkText documents, requiring an upgrade to secure the application.

- **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:** 7 Mar 2022
- **Updated:** 3 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-xfpv-q4q6-7j43

## What is CVE-2022-21158?

CVE-2022-21158 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in MarkText, published on 7 Mar 2022. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

A stored cross-site scripting vulnerability in marktext versions prior to v0.17.0 due to improper handling of the link (with javascript: scheme) inside the document may allow an attacker to execute an arbitrary script on the PC of the user using marktext.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-21158?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Marktext Marktext.

## How do I fix CVE-2022-21158?

No fix has been published for CVE-2022-21158 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2022-21158 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-21158 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in MarkText

- [CVE-2022-25069](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-25069/): Cross-site scripting in n/a (critical 9.6)
- [CVE-2021-29996](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-29996/): Cross-site scripting in n/a (critical 9.6)
- [CVE-2022-24123](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-24123/): Cross-site scripting in n/a (critical 9.0)
- [CVE-2023-2318](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-2318/): MarkText DOM-Based Cross-site Scripting leading to Remote Code Execution (high 8.6)
- [CVE-2020-27176](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-27176/): Cross-site scripting in n/a (high 8.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2022-21158 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-21158 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in MarkText, published on 7 Mar 2022. 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-2022-21158 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: MarkText. 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-2022-21158/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-21158/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-21158
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-21158
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-21158

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-21158/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.