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8.1
Anonymous GitHub Vulnerable to Cross-Site Scripting via Malicious GitHub Repository Content
published 6 months ago
Summary
Anonymous GitHub allows malicious GitHub repositories to execute arbitrary JavaScript code on the client side. This happens because the application renders GitHub repository content without sanitization. To fix this issue, ensure that any rendered content from GitHub is properly sanitized before injecting it into the DOM.
What to do
- Update tdurieux anonymous_github to version 2.3.0.
Affected software
| Ecosystem | Vendor | Product | Affected versions |
|---|---|---|---|
| npm | tdurieux | anonymous_github |
2.2.0 Fix: upgrade to 2.3.0
|
Original advisory text
@tdurieux/anonymous_github Vulnerable to XSS via Unsanitized GitHub Repository Content Rendering in Anonymous GitHub Origin
### Summary
Anonymous GitHub fetches repository content (e.g., markdown files) from GitHub's API and renders it without sanitization. On the client side, markdown is parsed with `marked` (with `sanitize: false`) and injected into the DOM via `$sce.trustAsHtml()` + `ng-bind-html`, bypassing AngularJS's built-in XSS protection. An attacker can craft a malicious GitHub repository whose README executes arbitrary JavaScript in the Anonymous GitHub origin.
### Details
#### README fetched from GitHub API
The server fetches the README via GitHub's REST API and stores the raw markdown in MongoDB:
```typescript
// https://github.com/tdurieux/anonymous_github/blob/b2d77faa6c6f35ad9ae6ed46e3a3fa4681ac84c2/src/core/source/GitHubRepository.ts#L162-L174
const ghRes = await oct.repos.getReadme({
owner: this.owner,
repo: this.repo,
ref: selected?.commit,
});
const readme = Buffer.from(
ghRes.data.content,
ghRes.data.encoding as BufferEncoding
).toString("utf-8");
selected.readme = readme;
await model.save();
```
It is then served to the client with no sanitization:
```typescript
// https://github.com/tdurieux/anonymous_github/blob/b2d77faa6c6f35ad9ae6ed46e3a3fa4681ac84c2/src/server/routes/repository-private.ts#L254-L260
return res.send(
await repo.readme({
accessToken: token,
force: req.query.force == "1",
branch: req.query.branch as string,
})
);
```
#### Client-side rendering via `$sce.trustAsHtml()` + `ng-bind-html`
The client fetches the raw README, parses it with `renderMD()` (which uses `marked` with `sanitize: false`), then bypasses AngularJS sanitization:
```javascript
// https://github.com/tdurieux/anonymous_github/blob/b2d77faa6c6f35ad9ae6ed46e3a3fa4681ac84c2/public/script/app.js#L1219-L1226
const res = await $http.get(`/api/repo/${o.owner}/${o.repo}/readme`, {
params: { force: force === true ? "1" : "0", branch: $scope.source.branch },
});
$scope.readme = res.data;
```
```javascript
// https://github.com/tdurieux/anonymous_github/blob/b2d77faa6c6f35ad9ae6ed46e3a3fa4681ac84c2/public/script/app.js#L1339-L1343
const html = renderMD(
$scope.anonymize_readme,
`https://github.com/${o.owner}/${o.repo}/raw/${$scope.source.branch}/`
);
$scope.html_readme = $sce.trustAsHtml(html); // sink: bypasses Angular XSS protection
```
The `renderMD()` function explicitly disables sanitization:
```javascript
// https://github.com/tdurieux/anonymous_github/blob/b2d77faa6c6f35ad9ae6ed46e3a3fa4681ac84c2/public/script/utils.js#L165-L176
marked.setOptions({
sanitize: false, // HTML in markdown is preserved as-is
// ...
});
return marked.parse(md, { renderer });
```
The resulting HTML is bound to the DOM via `ng-bind-html`, which trusts the string marked by `$sce.trustAsHtml()` and inserts it as innerHTML.
### Impact
1. **Stored XSS**: Any malicious GitHub repository can execute JavaScript in the Anonymous GitHub origin when a user anonymizes it or views its content
2. **Account Takeover**: Steal authentication tokens and session cookies
3. **Data Exfiltration**: Access other users' anonymization configurations and private repository data via `/api/user` and `/api/repo/list`
### Proof of Concept

1. Create a GitHub repository with a malicious `README.md`:
```markdown
# Innocent README
<img src=x onerror="alert(document.domain)">
```
2. On Anonymous GitHub, enter the malicious repository URL to anonymize it
3. The XSS executes immediately when the README preview is rendered on the anonymize page
### Remediation
1. Sanitize markdown output with DOMPurify before rendering (the dependency already exists but is unused)
2. Serve HTML files with `Content-Disposition: attachment` or in a sandboxed iframe on a separate origin
3. Replace `$sce.trustAsHtml()` with proper `ngSanitize` usage
4. HTML-escape filenames and paths in directory listing templates
5. Add Content Security Policy headers
### Credits
Zhengyu Liu, Jingcheng Yang
Anonymous GitHub fetches repository content (e.g., markdown files) from GitHub's API and renders it without sanitization. On the client side, markdown is parsed with `marked` (with `sanitize: false`) and injected into the DOM via `$sce.trustAsHtml()` + `ng-bind-html`, bypassing AngularJS's built-in XSS protection. An attacker can craft a malicious GitHub repository whose README executes arbitrary JavaScript in the Anonymous GitHub origin.
### Details
#### README fetched from GitHub API
The server fetches the README via GitHub's REST API and stores the raw markdown in MongoDB:
```typescript
// https://github.com/tdurieux/anonymous_github/blob/b2d77faa6c6f35ad9ae6ed46e3a3fa4681ac84c2/src/core/source/GitHubRepository.ts#L162-L174
const ghRes = await oct.repos.getReadme({
owner: this.owner,
repo: this.repo,
ref: selected?.commit,
});
const readme = Buffer.from(
ghRes.data.content,
ghRes.data.encoding as BufferEncoding
).toString("utf-8");
selected.readme = readme;
await model.save();
```
It is then served to the client with no sanitization:
```typescript
// https://github.com/tdurieux/anonymous_github/blob/b2d77faa6c6f35ad9ae6ed46e3a3fa4681ac84c2/src/server/routes/repository-private.ts#L254-L260
return res.send(
await repo.readme({
accessToken: token,
force: req.query.force == "1",
branch: req.query.branch as string,
})
);
```
#### Client-side rendering via `$sce.trustAsHtml()` + `ng-bind-html`
The client fetches the raw README, parses it with `renderMD()` (which uses `marked` with `sanitize: false`), then bypasses AngularJS sanitization:
```javascript
// https://github.com/tdurieux/anonymous_github/blob/b2d77faa6c6f35ad9ae6ed46e3a3fa4681ac84c2/public/script/app.js#L1219-L1226
const res = await $http.get(`/api/repo/${o.owner}/${o.repo}/readme`, {
params: { force: force === true ? "1" : "0", branch: $scope.source.branch },
});
$scope.readme = res.data;
```
```javascript
// https://github.com/tdurieux/anonymous_github/blob/b2d77faa6c6f35ad9ae6ed46e3a3fa4681ac84c2/public/script/app.js#L1339-L1343
const html = renderMD(
$scope.anonymize_readme,
`https://github.com/${o.owner}/${o.repo}/raw/${$scope.source.branch}/`
);
$scope.html_readme = $sce.trustAsHtml(html); // sink: bypasses Angular XSS protection
```
The `renderMD()` function explicitly disables sanitization:
```javascript
// https://github.com/tdurieux/anonymous_github/blob/b2d77faa6c6f35ad9ae6ed46e3a3fa4681ac84c2/public/script/utils.js#L165-L176
marked.setOptions({
sanitize: false, // HTML in markdown is preserved as-is
// ...
});
return marked.parse(md, { renderer });
```
The resulting HTML is bound to the DOM via `ng-bind-html`, which trusts the string marked by `$sce.trustAsHtml()` and inserts it as innerHTML.
### Impact
1. **Stored XSS**: Any malicious GitHub repository can execute JavaScript in the Anonymous GitHub origin when a user anonymizes it or views its content
2. **Account Takeover**: Steal authentication tokens and session cookies
3. **Data Exfiltration**: Access other users' anonymization configurations and private repository data via `/api/user` and `/api/repo/list`
### Proof of Concept

1. Create a GitHub repository with a malicious `README.md`:
```markdown
# Innocent README
<img src=x onerror="alert(document.domain)">
```
2. On Anonymous GitHub, enter the malicious repository URL to anonymize it
3. The XSS executes immediately when the README preview is rendered on the anonymize page
### Remediation
1. Sanitize markdown output with DOMPurify before rendering (the dependency already exists but is unused)
2. Serve HTML files with `Content-Disposition: attachment` or in a sandboxed iframe on a separate origin
3. Replace `$sce.trustAsHtml()` with proper `ngSanitize` usage
4. HTML-escape filenames and paths in directory listing templates
5. Add Content Security Policy headers
### Credits
Zhengyu Liu, Jingcheng Yang
Internet-facing
14 days
Internal
At next upgrade
- Not known to be exploited
- Needs hands-on effort to exploit (estimated)
- Gives an attacker full control (estimated)
Type
CWE-79Cross-site Scripting (XSS)
CWE-80Basic XSS
Timeline
Published5 May 2026
Updated5 May 2026
First seen5 May 2026
Sources
GHSA-g485-8j3v-p6x8 · GHSA
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