GHSA-cjcx-jfp2-f7m2
HIGHGHSA-cjcx-jfp2-f7m2 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.7) vulnerability in pretalx. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-cjcx-jfp2-f7m2 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
pretalx vulnerable to stored cross-site scripting in organizer search typeahead
Blast Radius
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Description
The organiser search in the pretalx backend rendered submission titles, speaker display names, and user names/emails into the result dropdown using innerHTML string interpolation. Any user who controls one of those fields (which includes any registered user whose display name is looked up by an administrator) could include HTML or JavaScript that would execute in an organiser's browser when the organiser's search query matched the malicious record.
Triggering the vulnerability required:
- An attacker-controlled field reachable by the search, which included any speaker's or submitter's display name in an event context (submitted a proposal) or any user at all for superusers.
- An organiser user with more than just review permissions or administrator user performing a typeahead search whose query matched the malicious record. An attacker can make matches likely by placing common substrings in the payload-bearing field.
Once triggered, the injected script executed in the context of the pretalx organiser interface and could read the page's CSRF token, submit authenticated requests on the victim's behalf (including requests modifying data due to access to the CSRF token), or exfiltrate data visible to the victim.
Patches
Fixed in pretalx v2026.1.0.
Workarounds
There is no configuration-level workaround. Operators who cannot upgrade immediately can avoid using the organiser search bar, or apply the patch to src/pretalx/static/orga/js/base.js manually and re-collect static files.
Credits
We thank Elad Meged from Novee Security for finding and reporting this vulnerability.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | pretalx | all versions | 2026.1.0 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for pretalx. 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 pretalx to 2026.1.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-cjcx-jfp2-f7m2 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 GHSA-cjcx-jfp2-f7m2 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 GHSA-cjcx-jfp2-f7m2. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-cjcx-jfp2-f7m2 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-cjcx-jfp2-f7m2 across PyPI dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.