GHSA-x53v-v9xp-gf6g is a medium-severity (CVSS 4.8) Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in mantisbt/mantisbt. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for mantisbt/mantisbt — see the affected versions and patch details below.
MantisBT XSS via move_attachments_page.php
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-x53v-v9xp-gf6g 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 377,166 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
mantisbt/mantisbt🐘mantisbt/mantisbt🐘mantisbt/mantisbtReal-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
A cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the MantisBT Move Attachments page (move_attachments_page.php, part of admin tools) allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary code through a crafted 'type' parameter, if Content Security Protection (CSP) settings allows it. This is fixed in 1.3.9, 2.1.3, and 2.2.3. Note that this vulnerability is not exploitable if the admin tools directory is removed, as recommended in the "Post-installation and upgrade tasks" of the MantisBT Admin Guide. A reminder to do so is also displayed on the login page.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐘Packagist | mantisbt/mantisbt | all versions | 1.3.9composer require mantisbt/mantisbt:^1.3.9 |
| 🐘Packagist | mantisbt/mantisbt | ≥ 2.0.0&&< 2.1.3 | 2.1.3composer require mantisbt/mantisbt:^2.1.3 |
| 🐘Packagist | mantisbt/mantisbt | ≥ 2.2.0&&< 2.2.3 | 2.2.3composer require mantisbt/mantisbt:^2.2.3 |
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 mantisbt/mantisbt, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update mantisbt/mantisbt to 1.3.9 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-x53v-v9xp-gf6g 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-x53v-v9xp-gf6g can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-x53v-v9xp-gf6g. 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-x53v-v9xp-gf6g in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-x53v-v9xp-gf6g across Packagist dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.