CVE-2020-15092

Stored XSS in TimelineJS3

Description

In TimelineJS before version 3.7.0, some user data renders as HTML. An attacker could implement an XSS exploit with maliciously crafted content in a number of data fields. This risk is present whether the source data for the timeline is stored on Google Sheets or in a JSON configuration file. Most TimelineJS users configure their timeline with a Google Sheets document. Those users are exposed to this vulnerability if they grant write access to the document to a malicious inside attacker, if the access of a trusted user is compromised, or if they grant public write access to the document. Some TimelineJS users configure their timeline with a JSON document. Those users are exposed to this vulnerability if they grant write access to the document to a malicious inside attacker, if the access of a trusted user is compromised, or if write access to the system hosting that document is otherwise compromised. Version 3.7.0 of TimelineJS addresses this in two ways. For content which is intended to support limited HTML markup for styling and linking, that content is "sanitized" before being added to the DOM. For content intended for simple text display, all markup is stripped. Very few users of TimelineJS actually install the TimelineJS code on their server. Most users publish a timeline using a URL hosted on systems we control. The fix for this issue is published to our system such that **those users will automatically begin using the new code**. The only exception would be users who have deliberately edited the embed URL to "pin" their timeline to an earlier version of the code. Some users of TimelineJS use it as a part of a wordpress plugin (knight-lab-timelinejs). Version 3.7.0.0 of that plugin and newer integrate the updated code. Users are encouraged to update the plugin rather than manually update the embedded version of TimelineJS.

Category

7.2
CVSS
Severity: High
CVSS 3.1 •
CVSS 2.0 •
EPSS 1.31% Top 25%
Vendor Advisory northwestern.edu
Affected: NUKnightLab TimelineJS3
Published at:
Updated at:

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the severity of CVE-2020-15092?
CVE-2020-15092 has been scored as a high severity vulnerability.
How to fix CVE-2020-15092?
To fix CVE-2020-15092, make sure you are using an up-to-date version of the affected component(s) by checking the vendor release notes. As for now, there are no other specific guidelines available.
Is CVE-2020-15092 being actively exploited in the wild?
It is possible that CVE-2020-15092 is being exploited or will be exploited in a near future based on public information. According to its EPSS score, there is a ~1% probability that this vulnerability will be exploited by malicious actors in the next 30 days.
What software or system is affected by CVE-2020-15092?
CVE-2020-15092 affects NUKnightLab TimelineJS3.
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