XSS in the of option of the .position() util in jquery-ui

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

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

EPSS

• CVE-2021-41184: 40.77% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 98.66 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Impact Accepting the value of the of option of the .position() util from untrusted sources may execute untrusted code. For example, invoking the following code: will call the doEvilThing() function. Patches The issue is fixed in jQuery UI 1.13.0. Any string value passed to the of option is now treated as a CSS selector. Workarounds A workaround is to not accept the value of the of option from untrusted sources. For more information If you have any questions or comments about this advisory, search for a relevant issue in the jQuery UI repo. If you don't find an answer, open a new issue.

Published by the source

26 Oct 2021, 14:55 UTC

Last modified by the source

8 Jul 2026, 06:29 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 12:38 UTC

1. Revision 2 · amended · 26 Oct 2026

   Amended from ghsa record GHSA-gpqq-952q-5327

2. Revision 1 · created · 24 Oct 2026

   Published from osv record GHSA-gpqq-952q-5327

Preview the exact text before you copy it. Commands are read-only suggestions; review them before running anything.

# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2021-41184

Advisory: XSS in the `of` option of the `.position()` util in jquery-ui
IDs: CVE-2021-41184, GHSA-gpqq-952q-5327
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2021-41184 (revision 2, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 12:38 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Medium (CVSS 6.5)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: org.webjars.npm:jquery-ui 1.13.0; jquery.ui.combined 1.13.0; jquery-ui 1.13.0; jquery-ui-rails 7.0.0. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- Maven org.webjars.npm:jquery-ui: affected < 1.13.0; fixed in 1.13.0
- NuGet jquery.ui.combined: affected < 1.13.0; fixed in 1.13.0
- npm jquery-ui: affected < 1.13.0; fixed in 1.13.0
- RubyGems jquery-ui-rails: affected < 7.0.0; fixed in 7.0.0

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- Maven org.webjars.npm:jquery-ui: check the installed version with your package manager.
- NuGet jquery.ui.combined: check the installed version with your package manager.
- `npm ls jquery-ui --all`: lists every installed copy and version, including transitive ones. Run in the project root after `npm ci`.
- RubyGems jquery-ui-rails: check the installed version with your package manager.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on org.webjars.npm:jquery-ui, jquery.ui.combined, jquery-ui, jquery-ui-rails.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-gpqq-952q-5327 (OSV record GHSA-gpqq-952q-5327 lists affected ranges: npm jquery-ui >=0 =0 =0 =0 <7.0.0 (fixed))
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-gpqq-952q-5327 (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-gpqq-952q-5327 lists affected ranges: npm jquery-ui >=0 =0 =0 =0 <7.0.0)

Commands are suggestions: review each one before running it.