How severe is CVE-2021-37502?

CVE-2021-37502 has a CVSS score of 5.4/10, rated MEDIUM. Review your exposure and patch according to your risk tolerance.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2021-37502?

CVE-2021-37502 affects the following packages: automad/automad (Packagist). Ecosystems affected: Packagist.

How do I fix CVE-2021-37502?

Update automad/automad to 1.8.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2021-37502 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2021-37502 in my Packagist dependencies?

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

How do I mitigate CVE-2021-37502 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-2021-37502 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 1 known exploit references for CVE-2021-37502, including 1 in-the-wild exploitation 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-2021-37502?

CVE-2021-37502 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 0.5%, placing it in the 44th 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-2021-37502?

CVE-2021-37502 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.

When was CVE-2021-37502 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2021-37502 was published on February 3, 2023 and was last updated on October 20, 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-2021-37502 — automad

MEDIUM

CVE-2021-37502 is a medium-severity (CVSS 5.4) Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in automad/automad. 1 public exploit or proof-of-concept reference is indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for automad/automad — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Cross site scripting in automad/automad

Also known asGHSA-q3c8-65q7-9v78

Published

Feb 3, 2023

Updated

Oct 20, 2026

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

1 / 1

Exploits

1 known

Exploitation data as of Nov 8, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

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-2021-37502.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

0.5%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs44th percentile — riskier than 44% 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

🐘automad/automad

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 automad 1.7.5 allows remote attackers to run arbitrary code via the user name field when adding a user.

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
🐘Packagist	`automad/automad`	all versions	1.8.0`composer require automad/automad:^1.8.0`

Affected Products

1 product · 1 configurations

Application

automadautomad

1 version

1.7.5

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 automad 1.7.5 allows remote …

github.comNVDFeb 2023

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for automad/automad, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update automad/automad to 1.8.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2021-37502 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

Cross Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in automad 1.7.5 allows remote attackers to run arbitrary code via the user name field when adding a user.

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2021-37502 in your dependencies?

Find it across Packagist, including transitive dependencies.

Scan my dependencies How O3 SCA works

CVSS Score

5.4/10CVSS v3 base

Vector breakdown

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

Low

User Interaction

Required

Scope

Changed

Confidentiality

Low

Integrity

Low

Availability

None

Raw vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

CWE Classification

CWE-79Cross-site Scripting (XSS)

Weaponization

No Nuclei template or Metasploit module yet. 1 public proof-of-concept reference is listed on this page.

Timeline

Disclosed

Feb 3, 2023

First exploit

Feb 9, 2023

6 days after disclosure — rapid exploitation

Last updated

Oct 20, 2026

Identifiers

CVE-2021-37502

GHSA-q3c8-65q7-9v78

References

Advisorynvd.nist.gov · CVE 2021 37502 Reportgithub.com

Related vulnerabilities

Also affects automad/automad

This CVE is medium severity; 3 of 4 other CVEs affecting automad/automad are rated as high or higher (top: high).

CVE-2026-45332CVE-2024-40400CVE-2023-7038CVE-2023-7037

Same weakness: CWE-79

This CVE is medium severity; 4 of 4 other CVEs with CWE-79 are rated as high or higher (top: high).

CVE-2026-88986CVE-2026-63197CVE-2026-55649CVE-2026-113787Browse all CWE-79

Provenance

Sources

OSV.devNVDFIRST.org (EPSS)

Last verifiedOct 20, 2026