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CVE-2023-22461

sanitize-svg Filter Bypass Allows Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)

7.6 HighFix available

The sanitize-svg package, a small SVG sanitizer to prevent cross-site scripting attacks, uses a deny-list-pattern to sanitize SVGs to prevent XSS. In doing so, literal <script>-tags and on-event handlers were detected in versions prior to 0.4.0. As a result, downstream software that relies on sanitize-svg and expects resulting SVGs to be safe, may be vulnerable to cross-site scripting. This vulnerability was addressed in v0.4.0. There are no known workarounds

Attack profile

How easy it is to exploit

Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges needed
Low
User interaction
Required

What an attacker can affect

Confidentiality
High
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

Exploit likelihood

0.61%Down 0.3 points since Jan 5, 2023
90%50%10%1%

What each source reports

CVE List Score used 7.6

sanitize-svg Filter Bypass Allows Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)

The sanitize-svg package, a small SVG sanitizer to prevent cross-site scripting attacks, uses a deny-list-pattern to sanitize SVGs to prevent XSS. In doing so, literal <script>-tags and on-event handlers were detected in versions prior to 0.4.0. As a result, downstream software that relies on sanitize-svg and expects resulting SVGs to be safe, may be vulnerable to cross-site scripting. This vulnerability was addressed in v0.4.0. There are no known workarounds

Record
CVE-2023-22461
CVSS 3.1
7.6 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N
Weakness
CWE-79, CWE-80
Updated
2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2023-0483 7.6

The sanitize-svg package, a small SVG sanitizer to prevent cross-site scripting attacks, uses a deny-list-pattern to sanitize SVGs to prevent XSS. In doing so, literal <script>-tags and on-event handlers were detected in versions prior to 0.4.0. As a result, downstream software that relies on sanitize-svg and expects resulting SVGs to be safe, may be vulnerable to cross-site scripting. This vulnerability was addressed in v0.4.0. There are no known workarounds

Record
EUVD-2023-0483
CVSS 3.1
7.6 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N
Updated
2026-11-02
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-h857-2g56-468g 7.6

@mattkrick/sanitize-svg vulnerable to Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)

Impact

The sanitize-svg package uses a deny-list-pattern to sanitize SVGs to prevent cross-site scripting (XSS). In doing so, literal <script>-tags and on-event handlers were detected:

[...]
  const svgEl = div.firstElementChild!
  const attributes = Array.from(svgEl.attributes).map(({ name }) => name)
  const hasScriptAttr = !!attributes.find((attr) => attr.startsWith('on'))
  const scripts = svgEl.getElementsByTagName('script')
  return scripts.length === 0 && !hasScriptAttr ? svg : null
[...]

There are more ways to embed JavaScript in XML files.

Anchor Tag (requires user to click link):

<svg viewBox="0 0 100 100" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
  <a href="javascript:alert(document.domain)">
    <text x="50" y="50" text-anchor="middle">Lauritz</text>
  </a>
</svg>

Foreign Object Tag (no user interaction required):

<svg width="500" height="500" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">
        <text x="20" y="35">Lauritz</text>
        <foreignObject width="500" height="500">
                <iframe xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" src="javascript:confirm(document.domain);" width="400" height="250"/>
        </foreignObject>
</svg>

As a result, downstream software that relies on sanitize-svg and expects resulting SVGs to be safe, may be vulnerable to XSS. We are aware of at least one downstream project for which this vulnerability had security implications.

Patches

This vulnerability was addressed in v0.4.0.

Workarounds

N/A

Record
GHSA-h857-2g56-468g
CVSS 3.1
7.6 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N
Weakness
CWE-79
Updated
2026-11-02
NVD 7.6

The sanitize-svg package, a small SVG sanitizer to prevent cross-site scripting attacks, uses a deny-list-pattern to sanitize SVGs to prevent XSS. In doing so, literal <script>-tags and on-event handlers were detected in versions prior to 0.4.0. As a result, downstream software that relies on sanitize-svg and expects resulting SVGs to be safe, may be vulnerable to cross-site scripting. This vulnerability was addressed in v0.4.0. There are no known workarounds

Record
CVE-2023-22461
CVSS 3.1
7.6 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N
CVSS 3.1
6.1 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Weakness
CWE-79, CWE-80
Updated
2026-11-02
OSV 7.6

sanitize-svg Filter Bypass Allows Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)

The sanitize-svg package, a small SVG sanitizer to prevent cross-site scripting attacks, uses a deny-list-pattern to sanitize SVGs to prevent XSS. In doing so, literal <script>-tags and on-event handlers were detected in versions prior to 0.4.0. As a result, downstream software that relies on sanitize-svg and expects resulting SVGs to be safe, may be vulnerable to cross-site scripting. This vulnerability was addressed in v0.4.0. There are no known workarounds

Record
CVE-2023-22461
CVSS 3.1
7.6 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N
Weakness
CWE-79, CWE-80
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVGHSA-h857-2g56-468g 7.6

@mattkrick/sanitize-svg vulnerable to Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)

Impact

The sanitize-svg package uses a deny-list-pattern to sanitize SVGs to prevent cross-site scripting (XSS). In doing so, literal <script>-tags and on-event handlers were detected:

[...]
  const svgEl = div.firstElementChild!
  const attributes = Array.from(svgEl.attributes).map(({ name }) => name)
  const hasScriptAttr = !!attributes.find((attr) => attr.startsWith('on'))
  const scripts = svgEl.getElementsByTagName('script')
  return scripts.length === 0 && !hasScriptAttr ? svg : null
[...]

There are more ways to embed JavaScript in XML files.

Anchor Tag (requires user to click link):

<svg viewBox="0 0 100 100" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
  <a href="javascript:alert(document.domain)">
    <text x="50" y="50" text-anchor="middle">Lauritz</text>
  </a>
</svg>

Foreign Object Tag (no user interaction required):

<svg width="500" height="500" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">
        <text x="20" y="35">Lauritz</text>
        <foreignObject width="500" height="500">
                <iframe xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" src="javascript:confirm(document.domain);" width="400" height="250"/>
        </foreignObject>
</svg>

As a result, downstream software that relies on sanitize-svg and expects resulting SVGs to be safe, may be vulnerable to XSS. We are aware of at least one downstream project for which this vulnerability had security implications.

Patches

This vulnerability was addressed in v0.4.0.

Workarounds

N/A

Record
GHSA-h857-2g56-468g
CVSS 3.1
7.6 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N
Weakness
CWE-79
Updated
2026-11-02

Affected products

Affected packages

Affected packages
PackageAffectedFixed
@mattkrick/sanitize-svg
npm
through 0.3.1
0.4.0
@mattkrick/sanitize-svg
npm
before 0.4.0
0.4.0

History

History
RecordedChangedSources
first indexedCVE List, EUVD, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV

Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.

In short

CVE-2023-22461 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.6) in Mattkrick Sanitize-svg, published January 4, 2023. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.61%, the 49th percentile. Fixed in @mattkrick/sanitize-svg 0.4.0.

References

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