Summary
Camaleon CMS vulnerable to stored XSS through user file upload (GHSL-2024-184)
A stored cross-site scripting has been found in the image upload functionality that can be used by normal registered users: It is possible to upload a SVG image containing JavaScript and it's also possible to upload a HTML document when the format parameter is manually changed to documents or a string of an unsupported format. If an authenticated user or administrator visits that uploaded image or document malicious JavaScript can be executed on their behalf (e.g. changing or deleting content inside of the CMS.)
Proof of concept
Login as a normal user (if user signup is enabled).
Go to the user's profile.
And upload the following profile picture via drag and drop.
The content of the SVG file could be as follows (e.g. name it test-xss.svg):
The server might fail with a 500 internal server error, but the uploaded image should be available at a location like https:///media/1/test-xss-cookie.svg. If an authenticated user or administrator accesses that link their auth_token is reflected. Since the auth_token cookie contains a static auth token value that only changes when a user changes their password.
Impact
This issue may lead to account takeover due to reflected Cross-site scripting (XSS).
Remediation
Only allow the upload of safe files such as PNG, TXT and others or serve all "unsafe" files such as SVG and other files with a content-disposition: attachment header, which should prevent browsers from displaying them.
Additionally, a Content security policy (CSP) can be created that disallows inlined script. (Other parts of the application might need modification to continue functioning.)
To prevent the theft of the auth_token it could be marked with HttpOnly. This would however not prevent that actions could be performed as the authenticated user/administrator. Furthermore, it could make sense to use the authentication provided by Ruby on Rails, so that stolen tokens cannot be used anymore after some time.
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-R9CR-QMFW-PMRC has a CVSS score of 5.4 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and user interaction required. 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 (2.8.1); 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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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is GHSA-R9CR-QMFW-PMRC? GHSA-R9CR-QMFW-PMRC is a medium-severity cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in camaleon_cms (rubygems), affecting versions < 2.8.1. It is fixed in 2.8.1. Untrusted input is rendered as active markup in a victim's browser, which can run script in their session.
- How severe is GHSA-R9CR-QMFW-PMRC? GHSA-R9CR-QMFW-PMRC has a CVSS score of 5.4 (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 camaleon_cms are affected by GHSA-R9CR-QMFW-PMRC? camaleon_cms (rubygems) versions < 2.8.1 is affected.
- Is there a fix for GHSA-R9CR-QMFW-PMRC? Yes. GHSA-R9CR-QMFW-PMRC is fixed in 2.8.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is GHSA-R9CR-QMFW-PMRC exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-R9CR-QMFW-PMRC 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-R9CR-QMFW-PMRC 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-R9CR-QMFW-PMRC? Upgrade
camaleon_cmsto 2.8.1 or later.