GHSA-qgp4-5qx6-548g
HIGHGHSA-qgp4-5qx6-548g is a high-severity (CVSS 7.6) Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in getkirby/cms. 3 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-qgp4-5qx6-548g is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Cross-site scripting (XSS) from unsanitized uploaded SVG files in Kirby
Real-World Exposure
getkirby/cmsReal-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
Impact
An editor with write access to the Kirby Panel can upload an SVG or XML file that contains harmful content like <script> tags. The direct link to that file can be sent to other users or visitors of the site. If the victim opens that link in a browser where they are logged in to Kirby, the script will run and can for example trigger requests to Kirby's API with the permissions of the victim.
This vulnerability is critical if you might have potential attackers in your group of authenticated Panel users. They can escalate their privileges if they get access to the Panel session of an admin user. Depending on your site, other JavaScript-powered attacks are possible.
Visitors without Panel access can only use this attack vector if your site allows SVG or XML file uploads in frontend forms and you don't already validate or sanitize uploaded SVG or XML files.
The attack requires user interaction by another user or visitor and cannot be automated.
Patches
Uploads in the Panel
The problem has been patched in Kirby 3.5.4 by validating uploaded SVG and XML files and rejecting potentially harmful files. Please update to this or a later version to fix the vulnerability.
Frontend upload forms
Frontend upload forms need to be patched separately depending on how they store the uploaded file(s). If you use File::create(), you are protected by updating to Kirby 3.5.4+.
Validate existing files
Already uploaded files are not automatically validated again. If you are not sure if you have been impacted by this vulnerability in the past, we recommend to run all site files through the validator classes after updating to Kirby 3.5.4. You can use the following test script by pasting it into a template or uploading it to your web root:
<?php
@include_once __DIR__ . '/kirby/bootstrap.php';
if (version_compare(kirby()->version(), '3.5.4', '<') === true) {
die('This script requires Kirby 3.5.4+.');
}
$objects = [
// the site itself
site(),
// all pages and drafts
...site()->index(true)->values(),
// all users
...kirby()->users()->values()
];
$errors = false;
foreach ($objects as $object) {
foreach ($object->files() as $file) {
try {
// validate the contents lazily
// (if a validator exists)
$file->validateContents(true);
} catch (\Kirby\Exception\InvalidArgumentException $e) {
echo $file->id() . ': ' . $e->getMessage() . "<br>\n";
$errors = true;
}
}
}
if ($errors === false) {
echo 'No validation errors found.';
}
You only need to run this validator script once as future uploads will automatically be validated. If the script prints "No validation errors found", you have not been impacted by the vulnerability so far.
Errors that it lists may or may not be critical as our validator classes also catch files with an invalid data structure or less harmful attacks like the "billion laughs" denial-of-service attack or the usage of external sources. We recommend to review and fix each listed error manually until the script no longer finds any validation errors.
Please delete the script again after you have used it.
Workarounds
If you cannot update to Kirby 3.5.4, you can disable the upload of SVG and XML files in your file blueprints and validate or replace your already uploaded files once.
Credits
Thanks to @sreenathr10 for reporting the problem.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐘Packagist | getkirby/cms | all versions | 3.5.4 |
Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Kirby CMS 3.5.3.1 - 'file' Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
by Sreenath Raghunathan · Apr 28, 2021
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for getkirby/cms. 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 getkirby/cms to 3.5.4 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-qgp4-5qx6-548g 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-qgp4-5qx6-548g 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-qgp4-5qx6-548g. 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-qgp4-5qx6-548g in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-qgp4-5qx6-548g across Packagist dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.