Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Public Knowledge Project (PKP) Open Journal System (OJS) 3.0.0 to 3.1.1-1 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the templates/frontend/pages/search.tpl parameter (aka the By Author field).
Conclusion & alert: CVE-2018-12229 is rated Moderate Risk (52.2/100): CVSS Medium severity, with medium exploitation likelihood (EPSS 1.80%). Core evidence: EPSS rose +1.39% over the last day, indicating growing attacker interest. Mandatory action: Review affected assets and schedule remediation.
Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.
EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).
| # | Date | Old EPSS score | New EPSS score | Delta (New - Old) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2026-06-15 | 0.40% | 1.80% | +1.39% |
| 2 | 2025-11-21 | 0.34% | 0.40% | +0.06% |
| 3 | 2025-11-18 | — | 0.34% | — |
Full EPSS history (10 records total)
CVSS metrics for this CVE.
| Base score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability | Impact | Score source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.1 | 3.0 | MEDIUM |
|
2.8 | 2.7 | [email protected] |
| 4.3 | 2.0 | MEDIUM |
|
8.6 | 2.9 | [email protected] |
| Vendor | Product | Version | Raw CPE |
|---|---|---|---|
| sfu | open_journal_system | > 3.0.0, <= 3.1.1-1 | cpe:2.3:a:sfu:open_journal_system:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| URL | Tags |
|---|---|
| https://forum.pkp.sfu.ca/t/ojs-3-1-1-2-and-omp-3-1-1-3-released/45937 | Vendor Advisory |
| https://forum.pkp.sfu.ca/t/xss-vulnerability-alert/45938 | Vendor Advisory |
| https://github.com/pkp/pkp-lib/issues/3785 | Third Party Advisory |
| https://metamorfosec.com/Files/Advisories/METS-2018-001-A_XSS_Vulnerability_in_OJS_3.0.0_to_3.1.1-1.txt | Third Party Advisory |