Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This flaw affects jQuery UI before 1.13.0. If a website lets untrusted input control a positioning option, an attacker could cause script execution in a user's browser. It is not a broad server compromise, but it can damage trust and support account abuse in affected web flows.
Executive priority
Treat as a moderate-priority web application risk. Patch during the next normal security update cycle, faster for customer-facing portals or admin interfaces where browser compromise could support fraud, data changes, or account misuse.
Technical view
CVE-2021-41184 is a CWE-79 XSS issue in jQuery UI's .position() utility. Before 1.13.0, untrusted values passed to the `of` option could execute code. Version 1.13.0 changed string handling so values are treated as CSS selectors.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely in web applications bundling jQuery UI below 1.13.0 and passing user-controlled data into `.position({ of: ... })`. Downstream exposure may exist through platforms or packages that included vulnerable jQuery UI versions.
Exploitation context
The supplied sources do not show KEV listing or confirmed active exploitation. The CVSS vector indicates network reachability, low complexity, no privileges, and required user interaction. Practical exploitation depends on attacker-controlled input reaching the vulnerable option.
Researcher notes
The key validation question is data flow: whether untrusted input reaches the `of` option. The public bundle names the fix and workaround, but does not provide evidence of active exploitation. Avoid broad claims beyond jQuery UI before 1.13.0 and cited downstream advisories.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade jQuery UI to version 1.13.0 or later.
- Do not pass untrusted input to the `.position()` `of` option.
- Inventory bundled or vendored jQuery UI copies in applications and dependencies.
- Review downstream vendor advisories for packaged fixes.
- Prioritize internet-facing applications with authenticated or high-value browser workflows.
Validation and detection
- Check deployed assets and lockfiles for jQuery UI versions below 1.13.0.
- Search code for `.position()` calls using the `of` option.
- Trace whether the `of` value can come from user-controlled input.
- Confirm patched builds use jQuery UI 1.13.0 or later.
- Review vendor package advisories for Fedora, Drupal, Oracle, and NetApp exposure.
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-79: User-session and phishing behavior lookup
Client-side and session-facing weaknesses should be reviewed alongside initial-access and user-execution behaviors. 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 lookupCVE-2021-41184 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
- Medium
- CVSS
- 6.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
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 vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N2.83.6Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
6.5MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://blog.jqueryui.com/2021/10/jquery-ui-1-13-0-released/CVE reference
- https://github.com/jquery/jquery-ui/security/advisories/GHSA-gpqq-952q-5327CVE reference
- https://github.com/jquery/jquery-ui/commit/effa323f1505f2ce7a324e4f429fa9032c72f280CVE reference
- FEDORA-2021-51c256bf87CVE reference · vendor-advisory
- FEDORA-2021-ab38307fc3CVE reference · vendor-advisory
- FEDORA-2021-013ab302beCVE reference · vendor-advisory
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2022.htmlCVE reference
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20211118-0004/CVE reference
- https://www.drupal.org/sa-core-2022-001CVE reference
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujul2022.htmlCVE reference
- https://www.tenable.com/security/tns-2022-09CVE reference
- FEDORA-2022-9d655503eaCVE reference · vendor-advisory
- FEDORA-2022-bf18450366CVE reference · vendor-advisory
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/08/msg00040.htmlCVE reference
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 Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.