XSS in Datasette
CVE-2021-32670
Datasette is an open source multi-tool for exploring and publishing data. The `?_trace=1` debugging feature in Datasette does not correctly escape generated HTML, resulting in a [reflected cross-site scripting](https://owasp.org/www-community/attacks/xss/#reflected-xss-attacks) vulnerability. This vulnerability is particularly relevant if your Datasette installation includes authenticated features using plugins such as [datasette-auth-passwords](https://datasette.io/plugins/datasette-auth-passwords) as an attacker could use the vulnerability to access protected data. Datasette 0.57 and 0.56.1 both include patches for this issue. If you run Datasette behind a proxy you can workaround this issue by rejecting any incoming requests with `?_trace=` or `&_trace=` in their query string parameters.
Vulnerability class: XSS (Cross-Site Scripting)
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 7.2 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.010 (60.9th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 61st percentile — 60.9% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.010 · newest: 0.010 · change: 0.000
Affected products
- Datasette
- Simonw Datasette — versions < 0.56.1
Weakness classification (CWE)
Public proof-of-concept exploits
References
- github.com/simonw/datasette/security/advisories/GHSA-xw7c-jx9m-xh5g (Third Party Advisory)
- github.com/simonw/datasette/issues/1360 (Patch, Third Party Advisory, Issue Tracking)
- datasette.io/plugins/datasette-auth-passwords (Vendor Advisory)
- owasp.org/www-community/attacks/xss/ (Third Party Advisory)
- pypi.org/project/datasette/ (Third Party Advisory, Release Notes)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2021-32670?
- CVE-2021-32670 is a high-severity vulnerability in Datasette, classified under Cross-site Scripting. CVSS score: 7.2/10. Published 2021-06-07.
- How severe is CVE-2021-32670?
- High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.2 out of 10.
- Is CVE-2021-32670 known to be exploited?
- 1 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.