CVE-2021-25974 is a medium-severity (CVSS 5.4) Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in publify_core. A fix is available for publify_core — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Cross site scripting in publify
Exploitation Status
Proof-of-concept exploit code exists
- CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2021-25974.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
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
publify_coreReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects RubyGems packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
In Publify, versions v8.0 to v9.2.4 are vulnerable to stored XSS. A user with a “publisher” role is able to inject and execute arbitrary JavaScript code while creating a page/article.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 💎RubyGems | publify_core | ≥ 8.0&&< 9.2.5 | 9.2.5bundle update publify_core --conservative |
Affected Products
publifypublify_projectDetection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for publify_core, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update publify_core to 9.2.5 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2021-25974 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2021-25974 in your dependencies?
Find it across RubyGems, including transitive dependencies.