CVE-2022-23494: TinyMCE cross-site scripting in alert dialogs

CVE-2022-23494 · Severity: low · CVSS 3.1 · Published 2022-12-08

TinyMCE is a popular rich-text editor embedded in web applications. A cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in its alert and confirm dialogs allows attackers to inject and execute arbitrary JavaScript in a user's browser when the editor displays error messages. This could lead to session hijacking, credential theft, or malware delivery, particularly affecting users of plugins like the image uploader that trigger these dialogs on errors.

Technologies: tinymce (npm), TinyMCE (NuGet), tinymce/tinymce (Packagist). Vendors: npm, NuGet, Packagist.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2022-23494 exploited in the wild?
No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2022-23494 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2022-23494?
Low severity, with a CVSS score of 3.1, published 8 December 2022.
Which products and versions are affected?
tinymce (npm) SEMVER:introduced=6.0.0,fixed=6.3.1; TinyMCE (NuGet) ECOSYSTEM:introduced=6.0.0,fixed=6.3.1; tinymce/tinymce (Packagist) ECOSYSTEM:introduced=6.0.0,fixed=6.3.1.
Is there a fix for CVE-2022-23494?
Yes. tinymce (npm): upgrade to 6.3.1 or later; TinyMCE (NuGet): upgrade to 6.3.1 or later; tinymce/tinymce (Packagist): upgrade to 6.3.1 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.
How is CVE-2022-23494 attacked?
It is attacked over the network.
Am I affected by CVE-2022-23494?
Check whether you run tinymce (npm), TinyMCE (NuGet) or tinymce/tinymce (Packagist) at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

How to fix

  • tinymce (npm): upgrade to 6.3.1 or later
    npm install tinymce@6.3.1
  • TinyMCE (NuGet): upgrade to 6.3.1 or later
    dotnet add package TinyMCE --version 6.3.1
  • tinymce/tinymce (Packagist): upgrade to 6.3.1 or later
    composer require tinymce/tinymce:^6.3.1

Technical details

The vulnerability is a reflected XSS flaw in TinyMCE's alert and confirm dialogs (CWE-79). When these dialogs receive malicious HTML content—such as through error messages returned by plugins like the image upload handler—the HTML sanitization function fails to properly neutralize the input after unwrapping invalid elements, allowing arbitrary JavaScript execution. The attack requires network access, low privileges (user must be authenticated), and user interaction (the victim must trigger the dialog). The vulnerability affects TinyMCE versions prior to 5.10.7 (5.x branch) and 6.0.0–6.3.0 (6.x branch), and has been patched in TinyMCE 5.10.7 and 6.3.1.

Affected products

  • Tiny Technologies TinyMCE before 5.10.7, 6.0.0 to 6.3.0

Identifiers

  • CVE-2022-23494
  • GHSA-gg8r-xjwq-4w92

Timeline

  • 2022-12-08: disclosed: Vulnerability published in GitHub Advisory Database
  • 2022-12-08: patched: TinyMCE 5.10.7 and 6.3.1 released with patches

References

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