CVE-2021-32660

Script injection

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:

• Open an issue in the Backstage repository
• Visit our chat, linked to in Backstage README

A malicious internal actor is able to upload documentation content with malicious scripts. These scripts would normally be sanitized by the TechDocs frontend, but by tricking a user to visit the content via the TechDocs API, the content sanitazion will be bypassed. If the TechDocs API is hosted on the same origin as the Backstage app or other backend plugins, this may give access to sensitive data.

The ability to upload malicious content may be limited by internal code review processes, unless the chosen TechDocs deployment method is to use an object store and the actor has access to upload files directly to that store.

Untrusted input is inserted into a command that is later executed by the application, allowing the attacker to alter the intent of that command. Typical impact: arbitrary command execution in the application's environment.

CVE-2021-32660 has a CVSS score of 6.8 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, high 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 (0.6.4); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

Already deployed Kodem?

The vulnerability is patched in the 0.6.4 release of @backstage/techdocs-common.

1. What is CVE-2021-32660? CVE-2021-32660 is a medium-severity command injection vulnerability in @backstage/techdocs-common (npm), affecting versions < 0.6.4. It is fixed in 0.6.4. Untrusted input is inserted into a command that is later executed by the application, allowing the attacker to alter the intent of that command.
2. How severe is CVE-2021-32660? CVE-2021-32660 has a CVSS score of 6.8 (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.
3. Which versions of @backstage/techdocs-common are affected by CVE-2021-32660? @backstage/techdocs-common (npm) versions < 0.6.4 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2021-32660? Yes. CVE-2021-32660 is fixed in 0.6.4. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2021-32660 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2021-32660 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
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2021-32660 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.
7. How do I fix CVE-2021-32660? Upgrade @backstage/techdocs-common to 0.6.4 or later.

Other vulnerabilities in @backstage/techdocs-common