CVE-2021-39178
MEDIUMCVE-2021-39178 is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.1) Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in next. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2021-39178 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
XSS in Image Optimization API for Next.js
Real-World Exposure
How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, a proxy for how much of the ecosystem is exposed.
nextnpmDescription
Next.js is a React framework. Versions of Next.js between 10.0.0 and 11.0.0 contain a cross-site scripting vulnerability. In order for an instance to be affected by the vulnerability, the next.config.js file must have images.domains array assigned and the image host assigned in images.domains must allow user-provided SVG. If the next.config.js file has images.loader assigned to something other than default or the instance is deployed on Vercel, the instance is not affected by the vulnerability. The vulnerability is patched in Next.js version 11.1.1.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | next | ≥ 10.0.0&&< 11.1.1 | 11.1.1 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for next. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update next to 11.1.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2021-39178 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2021-39178 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to CVE-2021-39178. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2021-39178 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2021-39178 across npm dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.