Obsidian Desktop before 1.14.0 contains a filter bypass vulnerability in the bundled MathJax 3.2.2 Safe component that allows attackers to execute arbitrary code by embedding a crafted \href value with a TAB byte in the URL scheme, causing filterURL to produce an empty protocol that bypasses the configured safeProtocols restrictions. Attackers can craft a note containing a malicious MathJax formula that renders as a javascript: URL anchor, which when clicked by the victim in Live Preview executes in the Node-integration-enabled vault renderer via require('child_process'), achieving arbitrary operating system command execution as the desktop user.
Attack Parameters
Attack Vector
Local
Requires local access
Attack Complexity
Low
Easy to exploit
Attack Requirements
None
No additional conditions
Privileges Required
None
No privileges needed
User Interaction
Active
User action required
Impact Assessment
Confidentiality
High
Complete data leak
Integrity
High
Complete data modification
Availability
High
Complete denial of service
CVSS Vector v4.0