GHSA-qjqp-xr96-cj99 is a medium-severity (CVSS 5.4) Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in trix. A fix is available for trix — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Trix Editor Arbitrary Code Execution Vulnerability
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-qjqp-xr96-cj99.
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
GHSA-qjqp-xr96-cj99 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 379,145 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% 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.
trixnpmDescription
The Trix editor, versions prior to 2.1.1, is vulnerable to arbitrary code execution when copying and pasting content from the web or other documents with markup into the editor. The vulnerability stems from improper sanitization of pasted content, allowing an attacker to embed malicious scripts which are executed within the context of the application.
Vulnerable Versions:
- 1.x series up to and including 1.3.1
- 2.x series up to and including 2.1.0
Fixed Versions:
- v1.3.2
- v2.1.1
Vector:
- Bug 1: When copying content manipulated by a script, such as:
document.addEventListener('copy', function(e){
e.clipboardData.setData('text/html', '<div><noscript><div class="123</noscript>456<img src=1 onerror=alert(1)//"></div></noscript></div>');
e.preventDefault();
});
and pasting into the Trix editor, the script within the content is executed.
- Bug 2: Similar execution occurs with content structured as:
document.write(`copy<div data-trix-attachment="{"contentType":"text/html","content":"<img src=1 onerror=alert(101)>HELLO123"}"></div>me`);
Impact:
An attacker could exploit these vulnerabilities to execute arbitrary JavaScript code within the context of the user's session, potentially leading to unauthorized actions being performed or sensitive information being disclosed.
Remediation:
Update Recommendation: Users should upgrade to Trix editor version 2.1.1 or later, which incorporates proper sanitization of input from copied content.
CSP Enhancement: Additionally, enhancing the Content Security Policy (CSP) to disallow inline scripts can significantly mitigate the risk of such vulnerabilities. Set CSP policies such as script-src 'self' to ensure that only scripts hosted on the same origin are executed, and explicitly prohibit inline scripts using script-src-elem.
References:
- https://github.com/basecamp/trix/releases/tag/v2.1.1
- https://github.com/basecamp/trix/pull/1147
- https://github.com/basecamp/trix/pull/1149
- https://github.com/basecamp/trix/pull/1153
Credit: These issues were reported by security researchers loknop and pinpie.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | trix | ≥ 2.0.0&&< 2.1.1 | 2.1.1npm install trix@2.1.1 |
| 📦npm | trix | ≥ 0.9.0&&< 1.3.2 | 1.3.2npm install trix@1.3.2 |
| 💎RubyGems | actiontext | ≥ 7.0.0.alpha1&&< 7.0.8.3 | 7.0.8.3bundle update actiontext --conservative |
| 💎RubyGems | actiontext | ≥ 7.1.0.beta1&&< 7.1.3.3 | 7.1.3.3bundle update actiontext --conservative |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for trix, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update trix to 2.1.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-qjqp-xr96-cj99 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 GHSA-qjqp-xr96-cj99 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-qjqp-xr96-cj99. 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-qjqp-xr96-cj99 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-qjqp-xr96-cj99 across npm, RubyGems dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.