Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
MathJax versions before 2.7.4 had an XSS flaw in the \unicode{} macro. If a site rendered untrusted MathJax content, a victim viewing that page could run attacker-controlled JavaScript in their browser.
Executive priority
Treat this as a targeted remediation item for products rendering user-generated math content. Prioritize upgrade where MathJax is internet-facing or used in collaborative content workflows.
Technical view
CVE-2018-1999024 affects MathJax before 2.7.4. The vulnerable path is the \unicode{} macro, which could allow untrusted JavaScript execution when untrusted content is processed by MathJax. The source bundle states it was fixed in 2.7.4 and later.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on websites or applications using MathJax before 2.7.4 to render user-supplied or otherwise untrusted math content. Static trusted-only content is lower risk.
Exploitation context
The cited CVE text says exploitation requires a victim to view a page where untrusted content is processed using MathJax. The bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation evidence.
Researcher notes
The record lacks CVSS, CWE, and detailed affected-product metadata. The strongest evidence is the CVE description, the MathJax fixing commit, and the external write-up referenced by the CVE record.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade MathJax to version 2.7.4 or later.
- Inventory pages that render user-submitted MathJax content.
- Avoid processing untrusted math markup with vulnerable MathJax versions.
- Check current MathJax vendor guidance before deploying compensating controls.
Validation and detection
- Confirm deployed MathJax versions are 2.7.4 or later.
- Search source, lockfiles, and CDN references for MathJax versions before 2.7.4.
- Identify routes where user content is rendered through MathJax.
- Verify untrusted math content is sanitized or blocked before rendering.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CVE-2018-1999024 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://github.com/mathjax/MathJax/commit/a55da396c18cafb767a26aa9ad96f6f4199852f1CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://blog.bentkowski.info/2018/06/xss-in-google-colaboratory-csp-bypass.htmlCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.