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NVD / CVE Program· CNA GitHub_M

CVE-2021-29489: Options structure open to XSS if passed unfiltered

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 21/100)

  • The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.86% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 58.8% of all records.
  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. A low-privileged account is enough. A user must open a link or visit a page. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • Fixed version: highcharts highcharts 9.
  • Severity is disputed: the assigning authority (CNA) scores it 7.6, NVD 5.4.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to highcharts highcharts 9 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

Highcharts JS is a JavaScript charting library based on SVG. In Highcharts versions 8 and earlier, the chart options structure was not systematically filtered for XSS vectors. The potential impact was that content from untrusted sources could execute code in the end user's browser. The vulnerability is patched in version 9. As a workaround, implementers who are not able to upgrade may apply DOMPurify recursively to the options structure to filter out malicious markup.

MediumCVSS 5.4 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
May 5, 2021
Updated
Jun 16, 2026
EPSS
0.8% · 58th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

21

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
21 / 40 · 5.4 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.8%

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
5.4
CNA · GitHub_M
7.6
2.2 point gap

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:L

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • No public exploit code on record
  • A fix has been released

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Follow CVE-2021-29489

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
highchartshighcharts
netappcloud backup
netapponcommand insight
netapponcommand workflow automation
netappsnapcenter

Is the Highcharts on your site affected?

The free JavaScript library scanner reads the Highcharts version from the files your site loads, matches this record and other known vulnerabilities, and gives the safe version on the same branch. If the version can't be read, it says so. No account needed.

Scan JavaScript libraries

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • highcharts highchartsbefore 9.0.0
  • netapp cloud backupall versions
  • netapp oncommand insightall versions
  • netapp oncommand workflow automationall versions
  • netapp snapcenterall versions

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (GitHub_M). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • highcharts highcharts

    • < 9.0.0affected

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
npmhighchartsbefore 9.0.09.0.0

Same product

highcharts: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2026-118254Highcharts Grid: pagination language options are parsed as HTML
    34Monitor
  • CVE-2026-118245Highcharts Dashboards: `chartConstructor` is an unchecked lookup into the Highcharts namespace
    34Monitor
  • CVE-2026-118242Highcharts Grid: custom icon definition objects written with raw `setAttribute` on `<path>`
    34Monitor

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2018-20801Mar 14, 2019 · In js/parts/SvgRenderer.js in Highcharts JS before 6.1.0, the use of backtracking regular expressions permitted an attacker to conduct a den
    31Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2026-116796Oct 28, 2026 · Highcharts Core: `javascript:` URL in an `xlink:href` attribute survives text filtering and reaches exported charts
    28Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2026-116797Oct 28, 2026 · Highcharts Grid Pro: cell-renderer `attributes` map written with raw `setAttribute`
    34Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
highcharts highcharts9 · descriptionVendor (CNA)
npm:highcharts9.0.0Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

No history yet (it accumulates with the daily EPSS job).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
  • A low-privileged account is enough.
  • A user must open a link or visit a page.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
low · data can be read
Integrity
low · data or configuration can be modified
Availability
none

Impact can extend beyond the vulnerable component (scope changes).

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality impact
Low
Integrity impact
Low
Availability impact
None

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-79 · Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

nvd-primary

Root cause

User content is inserted into the page as HTML. The browser interprets the content as code rather than data.

The bug in code

The whole CWE-79 class

A representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.

Vulnerable

ts
commentEl.innerHTML = comment.body;

Fixed

ts
commentEl.textContent = comment.body;

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

ATT&CK techniques

—

Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

Show all references (1 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records