Summary
Read the Docs vulnerable to Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
Impact
This vulnerability allowed a malicious user to serve arbitrary HTML files from the main application domain (readthedocs[.]org/readthedocs[.]com) by exploiting a vulnerability in the code that serves downloadable content from a project.
Exploiting this would have required the attacker to get a logged-in user to visit the malicious URL, which would have allowed the attacker to take control of the user's session with JavaScript (making requests to the API/site on behalf of the user). This URL would have looked something like hxxps[:]//readthedocs[.]org/projects/attacker-project/downloads/html/version-with-javascript-attack/.
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.
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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This issue has been patched in our 8.8.1 release.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is GHSA-98PF-GFH3-X3MP? GHSA-98PF-GFH3-X3MP is a medium-severity cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in readthedocs (npm), affecting versions < 8.8.1. It is fixed in 8.8.1. Untrusted input is rendered as active markup in a victim's browser, which can run script in their session.
- Which versions of readthedocs are affected by GHSA-98PF-GFH3-X3MP? readthedocs (npm) versions < 8.8.1 is affected.
- Is there a fix for GHSA-98PF-GFH3-X3MP? Yes. GHSA-98PF-GFH3-X3MP is fixed in 8.8.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is GHSA-98PF-GFH3-X3MP exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-98PF-GFH3-X3MP 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-98PF-GFH3-X3MP 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-98PF-GFH3-X3MP? Upgrade
readthedocsto 8.8.1 or later.