CVE-2025-53624

GitHub Personal Access Token Exposure in docusaurus-plugin-content-gists

docusaurus-plugin-content-gists versions prior to 4.0.0 are vulnerable to exposing GitHub Personal Access Tokens in production build artifacts when passed through plugin configuration options. The token, intended for build-time API access only, is inadvertently included in client-side JavaScript bundles, making it accessible to anyone who can view the website's source code.

Affected Versions

• All versions < 4.0.0

Patched Versions

• Version 4.0.0 and later

Mitigation steps

1. Immediately revoke access to the GitHub PAT that was used: https://github.com/settings/tokens

Migration steps

1. Update to version 4.0.0+: npm install docusaurus-plugin-content-gists@^4.0.0
2. Remove personalAccessToken from your plugin configuration
3. Ensure GH_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN is set in your build environment

When using the affected versions with the recommended configuration pattern:

plugins: [
  [
    'docusaurus-plugin-content-gists',
    {
      personalAccessToken: process.env.GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN,
    },
  ],
]

The GitHub Personal Access Token is included in the webpack bundle and exposed in production builds at:

• /build/assets/js/main.[hash].js

This allows malicious actors to:

• Extract the GitHub Personal Access Token from the website's JavaScript files
• Use the stolen token to access the token owner's GitHub account with the granted permissions
• Potentially access private gists, repositories, or perform other actions depending on the token's scope

CVE-2025-53624 has a CVSS score of 10.0 (Critical). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. 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 (4.0.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

1. What is CVE-2025-53624? CVE-2025-53624 is a critical-severity security vulnerability in docusaurus-plugin-content-gists (npm), affecting versions < 4.0.0. It is fixed in 4.0.0.
2. How severe is CVE-2025-53624? CVE-2025-53624 has a CVSS score of 10.0 (Critical). 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 docusaurus-plugin-content-gists are affected by CVE-2025-53624? docusaurus-plugin-content-gists (npm) versions < 4.0.0 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2025-53624? Yes. CVE-2025-53624 is fixed in 4.0.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2025-53624 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-53624 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-2025-53624 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-2025-53624? Upgrade docusaurus-plugin-content-gists to 4.0.0 or later.