Advanced Content Filter (ACF) vulnerability allowing to execute JavaScript code using malformed HTML

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Summary

CVECVE-2021-41164
StatePUBLISHED
AssignerGitHub_M
Source PriorityCVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback
Published2021-11-17 19:15:08 UTC
Updated2026-08-25 16:28:27 UTC
DescriptionCKEditor4 is an open source WYSIWYG HTML editor. In affected versions a vulnerability has been discovered in the Advanced Content Filter (ACF) module and may affect all plugins used by CKEditor 4. The vulnerability allowed to inject malformed HTML bypassing content sanitization, which could result in executing JavaScript code. It affects all users using the CKEditor 4 at version < 4.17.0. The problem has been recognized and patched. The fix will be available in version 4.17.0.

Risk And Classification

Primary CVSS: v3.1 5.4 MEDIUM from [email protected]

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

Problem Types: CWE-79 | CWE-79 CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')

VersionSourceTypeScoreSeverityVector
3.1[email protected]Primary5.4MEDIUMCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
3.1[email protected]Secondary8.2HIGHCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:L
3.1CNADECLARED8.2HIGHCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:L
2.0[email protected]Primary3.5AV:N/AC:M/Au:S/C:N/I:P/A:N

CVSS v3.1 Breakdown

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

CVSS v2.0 Breakdown

Access Vector
Network
Access Complexity
Medium
Authentication
Single
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
Partial
Availability
None

AV:N/AC:M/Au:S/C:N/I:P/A:N

NVD Known Affected Configurations (CPE 2.3)

TypeVendorProductVersionUpdateEditionLanguage
Application Ckeditor Ckeditor All All All All
Application Drupal Drupal All All All All

Vendor Declared Affected Products

SourceVendorProductVersionPlatforms
CNA Ckeditor Ckeditor4 affected < 4.17.0 Not specified

References

ReferenceSourceLinkTags
Oracle Critical Patch Update Advisory - April 2022 af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 www.oracle.com Patch, Third Party Advisory
ckeditor4/CHANGES.md at major · ckeditor/ckeditor4 · GitHub af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 github.com Patch, Third Party Advisory
Advanced Content Filter (ACF) vulnerability allowing to execute JavaScript code using malformed HTML · Advisory · ckeditor/ckeditor4 · GitHub af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 github.com Third Party Advisory
[SECURITY] Fedora 36 Update: ckeditor-4.20.0-1.fc36 - package-announce - Fedora Mailing-Lists af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 lists.fedoraproject.org
Oracle Critical Patch Update Advisory - January 2022 af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 www.oracle.com Patch, Third Party Advisory
Oracle Critical Patch Update Advisory - July 2022 af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 www.oracle.com Not Applicable
Access to this page has been denied. af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 www.drupal.org Third Party Advisory
[SECURITY] Fedora 37 Update: ckeditor-4.20.0-1.fc37 - package-announce - Fedora Mailing-Lists af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 lists.fedoraproject.org
[SECURITY] Fedora 37 Update: ckeditor-4.20.0-1.fc37 - package-announce - Fedora Mailing-Lists MITRE lists.fedoraproject.org
[SECURITY] Fedora 36 Update: ckeditor-4.20.0-1.fc36 - package-announce - Fedora Mailing-Lists MITRE lists.fedoraproject.org
CVE Program record CVE.ORG www.cve.org canonical
NVD vulnerability detail NVD nvd.nist.gov canonical, analysis

Legacy QID Mappings

  • 154106 Drupal Core Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) Vulnerability (SA-CORE-2021-011)
  • 184566 Debian Security Update for ckeditor (CVE-2021-41164)
  • 283229 Fedora Security Update for ckeditor (FEDORA-2022-b61dfd219b)
  • 283475 Fedora Security Update for ckeditor (FEDORA-2022-4c634ee466)
  • 730266 Drupal Core Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) Vulnerability (SA-CORE-2021-011)
  • 980067 Nodejs (npm) Security Update for ckeditor4 (GHSA-pvmx-g8h5-cprj)

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