Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2018-3770 affects markdown-pdf before version 9.0.0. If an application converts user-supplied markdown or HTML into PDFs, crafted content may make the converter read local files. Business risk depends on where the converter runs and what files its process can access.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation where markdown-pdf processes external content on servers with sensitive files. This is less urgent for internal-only, trusted content pipelines, but should still be fixed during normal dependency maintenance.
Technical view
This is a CWE-22 path traversal issue in markdown-pdf versions earlier than 9.0.0. Malicious HTML inserted into converted content can lead to local file disclosure from the host running the conversion process. The provided sources do not include a CVSS score.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely in applications, CI jobs, or document services using markdown-pdf before 9.0.0 and accepting markdown or HTML from untrusted users. Risk increases if the converter runs on servers containing secrets, configuration files, or sensitive documents.
Exploitation context
The provided sources and KEV status do not indicate active exploitation. An attacker would need a way to submit content into a markdown-pdf conversion workflow. Impact is local file reading within the permissions of the conversion process.
Researcher notes
The source bundle states versions before 9.0.0 are affected, while the structured affected field lists 9.0.0; treat the narrative description as the key signal and verify with the HackerOne report. No CVSS or exploitation evidence is provided.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory applications and jobs that use markdown-pdf.
- Upgrade markdown-pdf to version 9.0.0 or later where applicable.
- Avoid processing untrusted markdown or HTML until remediated.
- Run PDF conversion with least-privilege file access.
- Check the linked HackerOne report and vendor guidance.
Validation and detection
- Review package manifests and lockfiles for markdown-pdf versions.
- Confirm deployed runtime versions, not only source repositories.
- Identify endpoints or jobs accepting user-controlled markdown or HTML.
- Check whether converter processes can access sensitive local files.
- Perform only approved, non-destructive validation in test environments.
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.
CWE-22: File access and web shell behavior lookup
File traversal and upload weaknesses can lead teams to review file, web shell, execution, and collection telemetry. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupFile access behavior lookup
The CVE wording references file access or upload behavior, so file telemetry and web shell review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2018-3770 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://hackerone.com/reports/360727CVE 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.
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.