DrupalCMS
CVE-2018-9861
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedCross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Enhanced Image (aka image2) plugin for CKEditor (in versions 4.5.10 through 4.9.1; fixed in 4.9.2), as used in Drupal 8 before 8.4.7 and 8.5.x before 8.5.2 and other products, allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script through a crafted IMG element.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceCross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in CKEditor's Enhanced Image (image2) plugin allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script via a crafted IMG element. Affects CKEditor versions 4.5.10 through 4.9.1, and Drupal 8 before 8.4.7 and 8.5.x before 8.5.2 which bundle the vulnerable CKEditor version.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
DrupalCMS
>= 8.0.0, < 8.4.7>= 8.5.0, < 8.5.2>= 4.5.10, < 4.9.2CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify CKEditor versionLocate the ckeditor.js file or check the JavaScript library version included in your application. Look for a version string in the file header or in your package manager dependencies.Affected if The installed CKEditor version is 4.5.10 through 4.9.1 (inclusive)
-
Confirm image2 plugin is presentCheck if the Enhanced Image plugin (image2) is installed in your CKEditor plugins directory. This is typically found in the /plugins/image2/ folder within the CKEditor distribution.Affected if The image2 plugin directory exists and contains the plugin code
-
Determine if image2 plugin is enabledInspect your CKEditor configuration (config.js or inline config) to see if the image2 plugin is loaded. Look for 'image2' in the extraPlugins or removePlugins configuration options.Affected if image2 is listed in extraPlugins or is the active image plugin
-
Check Drupal version if applicableIf CKEditor is bundled with Drupal 8, check your Drupal core version by running 'drush status' or by inspecting the core/lib/Drupal/Core/Version.php file.Affected if Drupal 8 version is less than 8.4.7, or between 8.5.0 and 8.5.1 (inclusive)
You are affected if CKEditor version 4.5.10-4.9.1 is in use with the image2 plugin enabled, or if using Drupal 8 with CKEditor bundled and the version is below 8.4.7 or between 8.5.0-8.5.1.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor data4.9.28.4.78.5.2
Upgrade CKEditor to version 4.9.2 or later, or upgrade Drupal 8 to version 8.4.7+ or 8.5.2+ which include the patched CKEditor. Apply input validation on IMG elements as an additional defense-in-depth measure.
Fix this in Drupal
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-9861 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-9861 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data