What is CVE-2018-17960?

CVE-2018-17960 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in ckeditor (npm), affecting versions < 4.11.0. It is fixed in 4.11.0, 8.7.21, 9.5.2. Untrusted input is rendered as active markup in a victim's browser, which can run script in their session.

How severe is CVE-2018-17960?

CVE-2018-17960 has a CVSS score of 6.1 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2018-17960?

ckeditor (npm) versions = 8.0.0, = 8.0.0, < 8.7.21.

Is there a fix for CVE-2018-17960?

Yes. CVE-2018-17960 is fixed in 4.11.0, 8.7.21, 9.5.2. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is CVE-2018-17960 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2018-17960 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk.

What actually determines whether CVE-2018-17960 is exploitable, and how bad it is?

Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.

CVE-2018-17960 in ckeditor | Intelligent Application Security

Q: How severe is CVE-2018-17960?

CVE-2018-17960 has a CVSS score of 6.1 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.

Q: Which packages are affected by CVE-2018-17960?

ckeditor (npm) versions = 8.0.0, = 8.0.0, < 8.7.21.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2018-17960?

Yes. CVE-2018-17960 is fixed in 4.11.0, 8.7.21, 9.5.2. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is CVE-2018-17960 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2018-17960 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk.

Q: What actually determines whether CVE-2018-17960 is exploitable, and how bad it is?

Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.

Q: How do I fix CVE-2018-17960?

Upgrade: ckeditor to 4.11.0 or later, typo3/cms-core to 8.7.21 or later, typo3/cms-core to 9.5.2 or later, typo3/cms to 8.7.21 or later, typo3/cms to 9.5.2 or later.

Summary

CKEditor 4.x before 4.11.0 allows user-assisted XSS involving a source-mode paste. It was possible to execute XSS inside the CKEditor source area after persuading the victim to: (i) switch CKEditor to source mode, then (ii) paste a specially crafted HTML code, prepared by the attacker, into the opened CKEditor source area, and (iii) switch back to WYSIWYG mode. Although this is an unlikely scenario, it is recommended to upgrade to the latest editor version.

Impact

Untrusted input is rendered as active markup in a victim's browser, which can run script in their session. Typical impact: session or credential theft, and actions taken as the user.

CVE-2018-17960 has a CVSS score of 6.1 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and user interaction required. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (4.11.0, 8.7.21, 9.5.2); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

ckeditor (< 4.11.0) typo3/cms-core (>= 8.0.0, < 8.7.21) typo3/cms-core (>= 9.0.0, < 9.5.2) typo3/cms (>= 8.0.0, < 8.7.21) typo3/cms (>= 9.0.0, < 9.5.2)

Security releases

ckeditor → 4.11.0 (npm) typo3/cms-core → 8.7.21 (composer) typo3/cms-core → 9.5.2 (composer) typo3/cms → 8.7.21 (composer) typo3/cms → 9.5.2 (composer)

Kodem intelligence

Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.

Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.

See it in your environment

Remediation advice

Upgrade the following packages to resolve this vulnerability:

ckeditor to 4.11.0 or later; typo3/cms-core to 8.7.21 or later; typo3/cms-core to 9.5.2 or later; typo3/cms to 8.7.21 or later; typo3/cms to 9.5.2 or later

Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-17960? CVE-2018-17960 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in ckeditor (npm), affecting versions < 4.11.0. It is fixed in 4.11.0, 8.7.21, 9.5.2. Untrusted input is rendered as active markup in a victim's browser, which can run script in their session.
How severe is CVE-2018-17960? CVE-2018-17960 has a CVSS score of 6.1 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
Which packages are affected by CVE-2018-17960?
- ckeditor (npm) (versions < 4.11.0)
- typo3/cms-core (composer) (versions >= 8.0.0, < 8.7.21)
- typo3/cms (composer) (versions >= 8.0.0, < 8.7.21)
Is there a fix for CVE-2018-17960? Yes. CVE-2018-17960 is fixed in 4.11.0, 8.7.21, 9.5.2. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is CVE-2018-17960 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2018-17960 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
What actually determines whether CVE-2018-17960 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
How do I fix CVE-2018-17960?
- Upgrade ckeditor to 4.11.0 or later
- Upgrade typo3/cms-core to 8.7.21 or later
- Upgrade typo3/cms-core to 9.5.2 or later
- Upgrade typo3/cms to 8.7.21 or later
- Upgrade typo3/cms to 9.5.2 or later