GHSA-53P3-C7VP-4MCC

Trix is vulnerable to XSS through JSON deserialization bypass in drag-and-drop (Level0InputController)

References

The XSS vulnerability was responsibly reported by Hackerone researcher newbiefromcoma.

The Trix editor, in versions prior to 2.1.18, is vulnerable to XSS when a crafted application/x-trix-document JSON payload is dropped into the editor in environments using the fallback Level0InputController (e.g., embedded WebViews lacking Input Events Level 2 support).

The StringPiece.fromJSON method trusted href attributes from the JSON payload without sanitization. An attacker could craft a draggable element containing a javascript: URI in the href attribute that, when dropped into a vulnerable editor, would bypass DOMPurify sanitization and inject executable JavaScript into the DOM.

Exploitation requires a specific environment (Level0InputController fallback) and social engineering (victim must drag and drop attacker-controlled content into the editor). Applications using server-side HTML sanitization (such as Rails' built-in sanitizer) are additionally protected, as the payload is neutralized on save.

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.

Kodem intelligence

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Update Recommendation: Users should upgrade to Trix editor version 2.1.18 or later.

1. What is GHSA-53P3-C7VP-4MCC? GHSA-53P3-C7VP-4MCC is a low-severity cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in trix (npm), affecting versions < 2.1.18. It is fixed in 2.1.18. Untrusted input is rendered as active markup in a victim's browser, which can run script in their session.
2. Which packages are affected by GHSA-53P3-C7VP-4MCC?
   • trix (npm) (versions < 2.1.18)
   • action_text-trix (rubygems) (versions < 2.1.18)
3. Is there a fix for GHSA-53P3-C7VP-4MCC? Yes. GHSA-53P3-C7VP-4MCC is fixed in 2.1.18. Upgrade to this version or later.
4. Is GHSA-53P3-C7VP-4MCC exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-53P3-C7VP-4MCC 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
5. What actually determines whether GHSA-53P3-C7VP-4MCC 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.
6. How do I fix GHSA-53P3-C7VP-4MCC?
   • Upgrade trix to 2.1.18 or later
   • Upgrade action_text-trix to 2.1.18 or later

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