Command execution via unsanitized Markdown rendering
Published Jan 16, 2026 · Updated Jan 16, 2026
Cross-site scripting in jersou Markdown Explorer 0.1.1 allows attackers to execute commands when a crafted Markdown file is opened. The preview path converts file or editor Markdown to HTML without sanitizing embedded event handlers, which can invoke Node.js child_process APIs in Electron. Exploitation requires a victim to open a supplied file or enter the payload, and commands run with that desktop user's privileges.
Summary
What happened
Cross-site scripting in jersou Markdown Explorer 0.1.1 allows attackers to execute commands when a crafted Markdown file is opened. The preview path converts file or editor Markdown to HTML without sanitizing embedded event handlers, which can invoke Node.js child_process APIs in Electron. Exploitation requires a victim to open a supplied file or enter the payload, and commands run with that desktop user's privileges.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2021-47836
- Published
- Jan 16, 2026
- Updated
- Jan 16, 2026
- Vendor
- jersou
- Product
- Markdown Explorer
- Classifications
- CWE-79, T1204.002
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jan 16, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jan 16, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=0.1.1
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- Markdown Explorer 0.1.1 - Persistent Cross-Site Scriptingfunctional · demonstrated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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