CVE-2021-41182 is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.1) Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in org.webjars.npm:jquery-ui. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for org.webjars.npm:jquery-ui — see the affected versions and patch details below.
XSS in the `altField` option of the Datepicker widget in jquery-ui
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2021-41182 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 377,636 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the 10–50% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, and reverse-dependency count shows how many other packages break if it stays unpatched.
jquery-uinpmDescription
Impact
Accepting the value of the altField option of the Datepicker widget from untrusted sources may execute untrusted code. For example, initializing the datepicker in the following way:
$( "#datepicker" ).datepicker( {
altField: "<img onerror='doEvilThing()' src='/404' />",
} );
will call the doEvilThing function.
Patches
The issue is fixed in jQuery UI 1.13.0. Any string value passed to the altField option is now treated as a CSS selector.
Workarounds
A workaround is to not accept the value of the altField option from untrusted sources.
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory, search for a relevant issue in the jQuery UI repo. If you don't find an answer, open a new issue.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.webjars.npm:jquery-ui | all versions | 1.13.0org.webjars.npm:jquery-ui:1.13.0 |
| 📦npm | jquery-ui | all versions | 1.13.0npm install jquery-ui@1.13.0 |
| .NETNuGet | jQuery.UI.Combined | all versions | 1.13.0dotnet add package jQuery.UI.Combined --version 1.13.0 |
| 💎RubyGems | jquery-ui-rails | all versions | 7.0.0bundle update jquery-ui-rails --conservative |
Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.webjars.npm:jquery-ui, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.webjars.npm:jquery-ui to 1.13.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2021-41182 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 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2021-41182 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2021-41182. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Fixing This On Your OS
If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Virtualization Engine 4.4 | org.ovirt.engine-root-0:4.5.0.7-9 | RHSA-2022:4711 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2021-41182 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2021-41182 across Maven, npm, NuGet dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.