CVE-2023-28439 ckeditor4 plugins vulnerable to cross-site scripting caused by the editor instance destroying process
Attackers can execute arbitrary JavaScript via XSS in CKEditor4 when specific initialization and destruction conditions are met without proper CSP.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- A user has to click or open something
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2023-28439?
CVE-2023-28439 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in Fedoraproject Fedora, published on 22 Mar 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Official 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.
Weakness: CWE-79
Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-28439?
It affects 2 products.
Products include Ckeditor Ckeditor, Fedoraproject Fedora.
How do I fix CVE-2023-28439?
Upgrade to a fixed version.
Escape output for the context it lands in and set a strict Content Security Policy. Upgrading the affected component is the real fix. More about Cross-site scripting.
Is CVE-2023-28439 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-28439 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Fedoraproject Fedora
- CVE-2023-31541 File upload in n/a
- CVE-2021-41164 Advanced Content Filter (ACF) vulnerability allowing to execute JavaScript code using malformed HTML
- CVE-2021-41165 HTML comments vulnerability allowing to execute JavaScript code
- CVE-2021-32808 Cross-site scripting in ckeditor via abuse of undo functionality
- CVE-2011-4972 Missing authorization in CKEditor Drupal module
Sources
Also known as DEBIAN-CVE-2023-28439, GHSA-vh5c-xwqv-cv9g, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-28439.