CVE-2025-29513
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 NodeBB v4.0.4 and before allows remote attackers to store arbitrary code in the admin API Access token generator.
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 · moderate confidenceA stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in NodeBB versions 4.0.4 and earlier allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary JavaScript code through the admin API Access token generator. The vulnerability occurs because user-supplied input in the token name/description field is not properly sanitized before being stored and rendered in admin panels, enabling the execution of malicious scripts in the context of an authenticated administrator's session.
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<= 4.0.4CVSS 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:3.1/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.
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Identify installed NodeBB versionRun `npm list nodebb` or check the version field in the package.json file located in the NodeBB root directoryAffected if The installed version is 4.0.4 or earlier (e.g., 4.0.0, 3.x, 2.x)
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Locate the API Access Token management interfaceLog into the NodeBB admin control panel (ACP) and navigate to the Settings > API or Access Tokens section, or access the /admin/api/tokens endpoint if availableAffected if The admin API Access Token generator interface is present and accessible to your admin user account
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Enumerate existing API tokensWithin the API Access Token management panel, review all created tokens and note their names and descriptionsAffected if Any stored tokens exist in the system (the vulnerability triggers when viewing existing tokens)
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Inspect token names and descriptions for unsanitized contentExamine each token's name and description field for raw HTML tags, script elements, or JavaScript event handlers (e.g., <script>, onerror=, onload=, img src=javascript:)Affected if Any token name or description field contains unencoded HTML markup or JavaScript code that would execute when rendered in the admin panel
You are affected if your NodeBB version is 4.0.4 or earlier AND you have accessed the admin API Access Token interface where a token with malicious name/description could be rendered.
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 dataUpgrade to a patched version of NodeBB (v4.0.5 or later) which implements proper input sanitization and output encoding in the API Access token generator interface. As a temporary workaround, restrict admin panel access to trusted users only and monitor for suspicious token names containing HTML/script tags.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-29513 — 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-2025-29513 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
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- 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
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