Summary
XSS via JQLite DOM manipulation functions in AngularJS
XSS may be triggered in AngularJS applications that sanitize user-controlled HTML snippets before passing them to JQLite methods like JQLite.prepend, JQLite.after, JQLite.append, JQLite.replaceWith, JQLite.append, new JQLite and angular.element.
Description
JQLite (DOM manipulation library that's part of AngularJS) manipulates input HTML before inserting it to the DOM in jqLiteBuildFragment.
One of the modifications performed expands an XHTML self-closing tag.
If jqLiteBuildFragment is called (e.g. via new JQLite(aString)) with user-controlled HTML string that was sanitized (e.g. with DOMPurify), the transformation done by JQLite may modify some forms of an inert, sanitized payload into a payload containing JavaScript - and trigger an XSS when the payload is inserted into DOM.
This is similar to a bug in jQuery htmlPrefilter function that was fixed in 3.5.0.
Proof of concept
const inertPayload = `<div><style><style/><img src=x onerror="alert(1337)"/>`
Note that the style element is not closed and <img would be a text node inside the style if inserted into the DOM as-is.
As such, some HTML sanitizers would leave the <img as is without processing it and stripping the onerror attribute.
angular.element(document).append(inertPayload);
This will alert, as <style/> will be replaced with <style></style> before adding it to the DOM, closing the style element early and reactivating img.
Workarounds
Changing sanitizer configuration not to allow certain tag grouping (e.g. <option><style></option>) or inline style elements may stop certain exploitation vectors, but it's uncertain if all possible exploitation vectors would be covered. Upgrade of AngularJS to 1.8.0 is recommended.
References
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-mhp6-pxh8-r675
https://github.com/jquery/jquery/security/advisories/GHSA-gxr4-xjj5-5px2
https://github.com/jquery/jquery/security/advisories/GHSA-jpcq-cgw6-v4j6
https://blog.jquery.com/2020/04/10/jquery-3-5-0-released/
https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-ANGULAR-570058
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-5CP4-XMRW-59WF has a CVSS score of 5.0 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, low 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 (1.8.0); 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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The issue is patched in JQLite bundled with angular 1.8.0. AngularJS users using JQuery should upgrade JQuery to 3.5.0, as a similar vulnerability affects jQuery <3.5.0.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is GHSA-5CP4-XMRW-59WF? GHSA-5CP4-XMRW-59WF is a medium-severity cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in angular (npm), affecting versions < 1.8.0. It is fixed in 1.8.0. Untrusted input is rendered as active markup in a victim's browser, which can run script in their session.
- How severe is GHSA-5CP4-XMRW-59WF? GHSA-5CP4-XMRW-59WF has a CVSS score of 5.0 (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 versions of angular are affected by GHSA-5CP4-XMRW-59WF? angular (npm) versions < 1.8.0 is affected.
- Is there a fix for GHSA-5CP4-XMRW-59WF? Yes. GHSA-5CP4-XMRW-59WF is fixed in 1.8.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is GHSA-5CP4-XMRW-59WF exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-5CP4-XMRW-59WF 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-5CP4-XMRW-59WF 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-5CP4-XMRW-59WF? Upgrade
angularto 1.8.0 or later.