How severe is CVE-2018-5233?

CVE-2018-5233 has a CVSS score of 6.1/10, rated MEDIUM. Review your exposure and patch according to your risk tolerance.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2018-5233?

CVE-2018-5233 affects the following packages: getgrav/grav (Packagist). Ecosystems affected: Packagist.

How do I fix CVE-2018-5233?

Update getgrav/grav to 1.3.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2018-5233 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2018-5233 in my Packagist dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for getgrav/grav, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

How do I mitigate CVE-2018-5233 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

Escape or sanitise the affected output on the server side rather than relying on client-side filtering, and add a Content-Security-Policy that blocks inline script execution so injected markup cannot run even if it reaches the page.

Is CVE-2018-5233 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 2 known exploit references for CVE-2018-5233, including 2 in-the-wild exploitations observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2018-5233?

CVE-2018-5233 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 3.7%, placing it in the 90th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. This score indicates relatively lower exploitation probability, though the CVSS severity should still guide your patching priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2018-5233?

CVE-2018-5233 is classified as Cross-site Scripting (XSS) (CWE-79). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation. This is a high-impact weakness class that often enables remote code execution or data exposure.

Is there exploit tooling available for CVE-2018-5233?

A Nuclei detection template exists for CVE-2018-5233, meaning automated scanners can fingerprint it. Public exploit tooling significantly increases real-world risk — prioritize patching and ensure detection coverage. Exploit tooling should only ever be used in isolated, authorized testing environments.

When was CVE-2018-5233 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2018-5233 was published on March 19, 2018 and was last updated on October 24, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

🐘

🐘 Packagist

Not in CISA KEV

MEDIUM severity

CVE-2018-5233 — grav

MEDIUM

CVE-2018-5233 is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.1) Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in getgrav/grav. 2 public exploit or proof-of-concept references are indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for getgrav/grav — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Grav CMS Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability

Also known asGHSA-977g-93f5-rqjx

Published

Mar 19, 2018

Updated

Oct 24, 2026

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

1 / 1

Exploits

2 known

Exploitation data as of Nov 3, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

3.7%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs90th percentile — riskier than 90% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

How urgent is this, really

Where this sits among everything scored

Real-World Exposure

1 pkg affected

🐘getgrav/grav

Real-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Packagist packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.

Description

Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in system/src/Grav/Common/Twig/Twig.php in Grav CMS before 1.3.0 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the PATH_INFO to admin/tools.

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
🐘Packagist	`getgrav/grav`	all versions	1.3.0`composer require getgrav/grav:^1.3.0`

Affected Products

1 product · 1 configurations

Application

grav cmsgetgrav

< 1.3.0

range

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.

Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in system/src/Grav/Common/Twig/…

sysdream.comNVDApr 2018

Report on openwall.com

openwall.comNVDApr 2018

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for getgrav/grav, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update getgrav/grav to 1.3.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2018-5233 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Escape or sanitise the affected output on the server side rather than relying on client-side filtering, and add a Content-Security-Policy that blocks inline script execution so injected markup cannot run even if it reaches the page.

How to detect CVE-2018-5233

A community-maintained Nuclei template exists for this CVE. You can scan for it directly:

nuclei -id cve-2018-5233 -u https://target

Template: Grav CMS <1.3.0 - Cross-Site Scripting
Severity: medium
Impact: Attackers can execute arbitrary JavaScript in victims' browsers, potentially stealing session cookies, administrative credentials, or performing actions on behalf of authenticated users.
Remediation: Upgrade Grav CMS to version 1.3.0 or later, which includes proper input sanitization to mitigate the XSS vulnerability.

Template by ProjectDiscovery nuclei-templates (pikpikcu), MIT licensed. View the full template. Scan only systems you are authorised to test.

Frequently Asked Questions

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2018-5233 in your dependencies?

Find it across Packagist, including transitive dependencies.

Scan my dependencies How O3 SCA works

CVSS Score

6.1/10CVSS v3 base

Vector breakdown

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

Required

Scope

Changed

Confidentiality

Low

Integrity

Low

Availability

None

Raw vector

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

CWE Classification

CWE-79Cross-site Scripting (XSS)

Weaponization

OpenSSF Scorecard

Package health score

grav

4.1/10

Maintained10/10

Code-Review0/10

Branch-Protection0/10

Assessed Nov 2, 2026

Timeline

Disclosed

Mar 19, 2018

First exploit

Apr 17, 2018

Last updated

Oct 24, 2026

Identifiers

CVE-2018-5233

GHSA-977g-93f5-rqjx

References

Advisorynvd.nist.gov · CVE 2018 5233 Websysdream.com · 2018 03 15 cve 2018 5233 grav cms admin plugin reflected cross site scripting xss vulnerability Packagegithub.com · grav Evidenceopenwall.com Evidencesysdream.com · 2018 03 15 cve 2018 5233 grav cms admin plugin reflected cross site scripting xss vulnerability

Related vulnerabilities

This CVE is medium severity; 7 of 8 other CVEs affecting getgrav/grav are rated as high or higher (top: high).

CVE-2026-72832CVE-2026-72701CVE-2026-76839CVE-2026-72697CVE-2026-74907CVE-2026-75831CVE-2026-69088CVE-2026-61449

Provenance

Sources

OSV.devNVDFIRST.org (EPSS)

Last verifiedOct 24, 2026