# CVE-2024-39123: Calibre-Web Cross Site Scripting (XSS)

> Cross-site scripting in Calibre-Web allows attackers to inject malicious scripts via book comments, potentially leading to session hijacking or code execution.

- **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:** 19 Jul 2024
- **Updated:** 2 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-j22r-3rf3-cv25, PYSEC-2026-1230

## What is CVE-2024-39123?

CVE-2024-39123 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in n/a, published on 19 Jul 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

In janeczku Calibre-Web 0.6.0 to 0.6.21, the edit_book_comments function is vulnerable to Cross Site Scripting (XSS) due to improper sanitization performed by the clean_string function. The vulnerability arises from the way the clean_string function handles HTML sanitization.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-39123?

3 open source packages ship an affected version, including calibreweb. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `calibreweb` | PyPI | From 0.6.0 to 0.6.21 | None |
| `calibreweb` | PyPI | From 0.6.0 to 0.6.21 | None |
| `calibreweb` | PyPI | From 0.6.0 to 0.6.21 | None |

Products: Janeczku Calibre-Web.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-39123?

No fix has been published for CVE-2024-39123 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2024-39123 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2024-39123 exists.

Public exploit code:

- Exploit For: CVE-2024-39123: Stored XSS in Calibre-web 0.6.21 (github_poc): https://github.com/theexploiters/CVE-2024-39123-Exploit

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2022-30765](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-30765/): SQL injection in calibreweb (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2020-12627](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-12627/): Hardcoded credentials in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2022-0990](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0990/): Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) in janeczku/calibre-web (critical 9.3)
- [CVE-2022-0767](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0767/): Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) in janeczku/calibre-web (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2022-0939](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0939/): Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) in janeczku/calibre-web (critical 9.0)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2024-39123 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-39123 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in n/a, published on 19 Jul 2024. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2024-39123 exists.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- calibreweb (PyPI): affected from 0.6.0 up to 0.6.21; no fix listed
- calibreweb (PyPI): affected from 0.6.0 up to 0.6.21; no fix listed
- calibreweb (PyPI): affected from 0.6.0 up to 0.6.21; no fix listed

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-2024-39123/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-39123/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-39123
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-39123
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-39123

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-39123/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.