Executive brief
SiYuan, a personal knowledge management system, contains a vulnerability in its 'Bazaar' community marketplace. Malicious actors can upload themes or plugins with specially crafted names or descriptions that execute hidden code when a user simply browses the marketplace. This can lead to a total compromise of the user's computer, allowing attackers to steal private notes, sensitive files, or install malware.
Technical details
SiYuan versions prior to 3.6.1 are vulnerable to stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) within the Bazaar marketplace component. The application fails to sanitize package metadata (displayName, description) and README content rendered via the Lute engine. Because the desktop application is built on Electron with 'nodeIntegration' enabled and 'contextIsolation' disabled, an attacker can escalate from XSS to Remote Code Execution (RCE) by using Node.js primitives like 'child_process.exec'. The metadata vector is 'zero-click' (executes upon browsing the marketplace), while the README vector is 'one-click' (executes upon viewing package details). The issue is resolved in version 3.6.1 by implementing proper HTML escaping and enabling Lute's sanitization mode.
Affected products
- SiYuan SiYuan < 3.6.1
Timeline
- 2026-03-14: advisory: GitHub Security Advisory published
- 2026-06-21: disclosed: NVD publication date