GHSA-gqgw-jghv-mxwx is a medium-severity (CVSS 5.4) Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in tablib. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-gqgw-jghv-mxwx is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
tablib: Stored XSS in the HTML export via unescaped dataset title
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-gqgw-jghv-mxwx.
Real-World Exposure
tablibReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects PyPI packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
tablib prior to 3.10.0 contains a stored cross-site scripting vulnerability in the HTML export functionality that allows attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript by embedding malicious payloads in dataset titles, which are interpolated unsanitized into HTML output via the export_book method in the _html.py format handler. Attackers can rename worksheet sheets in imported files such as XLSX, ODS, XLS, or YAML with script payloads that are assigned to the Dataset title attribute and rendered unescaped inside an HTML h3 tag, leading to session hijacking, unauthorized administrative actions, and sensitive data exposure when the output is rendered in a browser.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | tablib | all versions | 3.10.0 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for tablib. 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 tablib to 3.10.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-gqgw-jghv-mxwx 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-gqgw-jghv-mxwx 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-gqgw-jghv-mxwx. 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-gqgw-jghv-mxwx in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-gqgw-jghv-mxwx across PyPI dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.