Summary
Passbolt API Stored XSS on first/last name during setup
Description
An administrator can craft a user with a malicious first name and last name, using a payload such as
<svg onload="confirm(document.domain)">'); ?></svg>
The user will then receive the invitation email and click on the setup link. The setup start page served by the server will fire the XSS.
Impact of issue
An administrator could use this exploit to edit the setup start page for a given user, for example, trick the user into installing another extension. Even though the severity of this issue in itself is high, the likelihood is low because the exploit will be visible in clear by the user in the email notification, and also requires an action from a malicious administrator.
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.
GHSA-2F46-4XJM-73X5 has a CVSS score of 7.2 (High). The vector is network-reachable, high 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 (2.11.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
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.
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Sanitize the firstname and lastname in the page that is used to trigger the extension setup process.
Additionally since v2.11 some default CSP are inserted in the server response headers to prevent inline-scripts or 3rd party domain scripts on pages served by the passbolt API. This is to cater for the case where the administrator has not set them up as part of the web server configuration.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is GHSA-2F46-4XJM-73X5? GHSA-2F46-4XJM-73X5 is a high-severity cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in passbolt/passbolt_api (composer), affecting versions < 2.11.0. It is fixed in 2.11.0. Untrusted input is rendered as active markup in a victim's browser, which can run script in their session.
- How severe is GHSA-2F46-4XJM-73X5? GHSA-2F46-4XJM-73X5 has a CVSS score of 7.2 (High). 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 versions of passbolt/passbolt_api are affected by GHSA-2F46-4XJM-73X5? passbolt/passbolt_api (composer) versions < 2.11.0 is affected.
- Is there a fix for GHSA-2F46-4XJM-73X5? Yes. GHSA-2F46-4XJM-73X5 is fixed in 2.11.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is GHSA-2F46-4XJM-73X5 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-2F46-4XJM-73X5 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 GHSA-2F46-4XJM-73X5 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 GHSA-2F46-4XJM-73X5? Upgrade
passbolt/passbolt_apito 2.11.0 or later.