CVE-2023-39517 Cross site scripting (XSS) when clicking on an untrusted `<map>` link in Joplin
Attackers can execute arbitrary shell commands via malicious image links in Joplin due to insufficient HTML sanitization and lack of sandboxing.
- 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
- None listed
What is CVE-2023-39517?
CVE-2023-39517 is a high-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in laurent22 joplin, published on 21 Jun 2024. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Official description
Joplin is a free, open source note taking and to-do application. A Cross site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in affected versions allows clicking on an untrusted image link to execute arbitrary shell commands. The HTML sanitizer (`packages/renderer/htmlUtils.ts::sanitizeHtml`) preserves `<map>` `<area>` links. However, unlike `<a>` links, the `target` and `href` attributes are not removed. Additionally, because the note preview pane isn't sandboxed to prevent top navigation, links with `target` set to `_top` can replace the toplevel electron page. Because any toplevel electron page, with Joplin's setup, has access to `require` and can require node libraries, a malicious replacement toplevel page can import `child_process` and execute arbitrary shell commands. This issue has been fixed in commit 7c52c3e9a81a52ef1b42a951f9deb9d378d59b0f which is included in release version 2.12.8. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.
Weakness: CWE-79
Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-39517?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Joplin Project Joplin.
How do I fix CVE-2023-39517?
No fix has been published for CVE-2023-39517 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
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-2023-39517 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-39517 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in laurent22 joplin
- CVE-2022-23340 Joplin Vulnerable to Code Injection
- CVE-2024-40643 Joplin has a parsing error leading to Cross-site Scripting (XSS)
- CVE-2023-45673 Arbitrary code execution on click of PDF links in Joplin
- CVE-2025-27134 Privilege escalation in Joplin server via user patch endpoint
- CVE-2023-37898 Safe mode Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Joplin
Sources
Also known as GHSA-2h88-m32f-qh5m.