GHSA-w973-2qcc-p78x is a medium-severity (CVSS 5.9) Improper Input Validation vulnerability in converse.js. 3 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for converse.js — see the affected versions and patch details below.
User Impersonation in converse.js
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-w973-2qcc-p78x 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.
converse.jsnpmDescription
Versions of converse.js prior to 1.0.7 for 1.x or 2.0.5 for 2.x are vulnerable to User Impersonation. The package provides an incorrect implementation of XEP-0280: Message Carbons that allows a remote attacker to impersonate any user, including contacts, in the vulnerable application's display. This allows for various kinds of social engineering attacks.
Recommendation
If you're using converse.js 1.x, upgrade to 1.0.7 or later.
If you're using converse.js 2.x, upgrade to 2.0.5 or later.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | converse.js | all versions | 1.0.7npm install converse.js@1.0.7 |
| 📦npm | converse.js | ≥ 2.0.0&&< 2.0.5 | 2.0.5npm install converse.js@2.0.5 |
Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for converse.js, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update converse.js to 1.0.7 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-w973-2qcc-p78x 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-w973-2qcc-p78x can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-w973-2qcc-p78x. 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-w973-2qcc-p78x in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-w973-2qcc-p78x across npm dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.