CVE-2024-28244: katex — Fix

Description

KaTeX is a JavaScript library for TeX math rendering on the web. KaTeX users who render untrusted mathematical expressions could encounter malicious input using `\def` or `\newcommand` that causes a near-infinite loop, despite setting `maxExpand` to avoid such loops. KaTeX supports an option named maxExpand which aims to prevent infinitely recursive macros from consuming all available memory and/or triggering a stack overflow error. Unfortunately, support for "Unicode (sub|super)script characters" allows an attacker to bypass this limit. Each sub/superscript group instantiated a separate Parser with its own limit on macro executions, without inheriting the current count of macro executions from its parent. This has been corrected in KaTeX v0.16.10.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

6.5

MEDIUM

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

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-674 CWE-674

Affected Products

Vendor	Product	Versions
katex	katex	0.15.4 — 0.16.10

References

Advisories & Patches

https://github.com/KaTeX/KaTeX/commit/085e21b5da05414efefa932570e7201a7c70e5b2 https://github.com/KaTeX/KaTeX/commit/085e21b5da05414efefa932570e7201a7c70e5b2

Other References

https://github.com/KaTeX/KaTeX/security/advisories/GHSA-cvr6-37gx-v8wc https://github.com/KaTeX/KaTeX/security/advisories/GHSA-cvr6-37gx-v8wc

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2024-28244? +

KaTeX is a JavaScript library for TeX math rendering on the web. KaTeX users who render untrusted mathematical expressions could encounter malicious input using `\def` or `\newcommand` that causes a near-infinite loop, despite setting `maxExpand` to avoid such loops. KaTeX supports an option named maxExpand which aims to prevent infinitely recursive macros from consuming all available memory and/or triggering a stack overflow error. Unfortunately, support for "Unicode (sub|super)script characters" allows an attacker to bypass this limit. Each sub/superscript group instantiated a separate Parser with its own limit on macro executions, without inheriting the current count of macro executions from its parent. This has been corrected in KaTeX v0.16.10. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2024-28244? +

CVE-2024-28244 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 6.5 out of 10, rated MEDIUM. This is a medium-severity vulnerability that should be remediated as part of regular maintenance.

What products are affected by CVE-2024-28244? +

CVE-2024-28244 affects products from katex, specifically: katex. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2024-28244? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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