CVE-2021-39199

CVE-2021-39199 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Remark Remark-html with a CVSS 3.x base score of 10.0. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-79.

Key facts

Description

remark-html is an open source nodejs library which compiles Markdown to HTML. In affected versions the documentation of remark-html has mentioned that it was safe by default. In practice the default was never safe and had to be opted into. That is, user input was not sanitized. This means arbitrary HTML can be passed through leading to potential XSS attacks. The problem has been patched in 13.0.2 and 14.0.1: `remark-html` is now safe by default, and the implementation matches the documentation. On older affected versions, pass `sanitize: true` if you cannot update.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-39199?
remark-html is an open source nodejs library which compiles Markdown to HTML. In affected versions the documentation of remark-html has mentioned that it was safe by default. In practice the default was never safe and had to be opted into. That is, user input was not sanitized. This means arbitrary HTML can be passed through leading to potential XSS attacks. The problem has been patched in 13.0.2 and 14.0.1: `remark-html` is now safe by default, and the implementation matches the documentation. On older affected versions, pass `sanitize: true` if you cannot update.
How severe is CVE-2021-39199?
CVE-2021-39199 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 10.0, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability none.
Is CVE-2021-39199 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (65th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-39199?
CVE-2021-39199 affects Remark Remark-html. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-39199?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2021-39199 published?
CVE-2021-39199 was published on 2021-09-07 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

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