GHSA-v8qj-hxv7-mgvv
HIGHGHSA-v8qj-hxv7-mgvv is a high-severity (CVSS 8.7) vulnerability in open-webui. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-v8qj-hxv7-mgvv is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Open WebUI: Stored XSS in Mermaid Markdown Preview
Real-World Exposure
open-webuiReal-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
Summary
Open WebUI renders Mermaid blocks from Markdown files in the file preview panel and inserts the generated SVG into the DOM using innerHTML.
Because Mermaid is configured with securityLevel: 'loose', attacker-controlled Mermaid content can be rendered unsafely in this flow. A working payload was validated through the Markdown preview path, resulting in JavaScript execution in the victim’s browser under the application origin.
This is a confirmed stored XSS vulnerability reachable through normal product functionality.
Affected Version
main- Reproduced on
v0.8.12
Affected Code
Mermaid is initialized in permissive mode:
https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui/blob/9bd84258d09eefe7bf975878fb0e31a5dadfe0f8/src/lib/utils/index.ts#L1698 The file preview path renders Mermaid output and injects the returned SVG into the DOM:
Impact
A successful exploit allows JavaScript execution in the victim’s browser under the Open WebUI origin when a malicious Markdown file is opened in the preview panel.
PoC
A malicious .md file containing the follwowing contents can be used to trigger the bug:
```mermaid
flowchart LR
A[click me]
click A href "javascript:alert(document.domain)" "x"
```
Steps to reproduce:
1- Create a new chat
2- Enable Code Interpreter and browse and upload the file with .md extension.
<img width="331" height="258" alt="image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/bce2b754-56d1-4da1-90a9-22bcb93269f2" />
3- Clicking on the file, and clicking click me should pop an alert
<img width="1103" height="485" alt="image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/18754486-799b-434e-a2fc-dd7c09956a29" />
Remediation
Since mermaid has DOMPurify as a built-in, it is recommended to use the strict mode instead of loose.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | open-webui | all versions | 0.9.6 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for open-webui. 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 open-webui to 0.9.6 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-v8qj-hxv7-mgvv 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-v8qj-hxv7-mgvv 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-v8qj-hxv7-mgvv. 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-v8qj-hxv7-mgvv in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-v8qj-hxv7-mgvv across PyPI dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.