CVE-2025-53624 is a critical vulnerability affecting versions of the docusaurus-plugin-content-gists prior to 4.0.0. This plugin is used within the Docusaurus static site generator framework to display public GitHub gists of a specified user by adding a dedicated page to the site. The vulnerability arises from the improper handling of GitHub Personal Access Tokens (PATs) passed through the plugin's configuration options. These tokens are intended solely for build-time API authentication to fetch gists. However, due to a flaw in the plugin's implementation, the token is inadvertently embedded into the client-side JavaScript bundles generated during the production build process. As a result, any visitor to the website can inspect the source code and extract the PAT, which grants unauthorized access to the associated GitHub account with the permissions assigned to that token. The exposure of such tokens can lead to severe confidentiality breaches, including unauthorized repository access, data exfiltration, code tampering, or further lateral attacks if the token has broad scopes. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-200 (Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor) and has been assigned a maximum CVSS 3.1 score of 10.0, reflecting its critical severity. The vulnerability requires no authentication or user interaction to exploit and can be triggered remotely by simply visiting the affected website. The issue was addressed in version 4.0.0 of the plugin, which removes the token from client-side bundles, ensuring it remains only in build-time contexts. No known exploits have been reported in the wild as of the publication date, but the high severity and ease of exploitation make timely patching imperative.

For European organizations using Docusaurus with the vulnerable docusaurus-plugin-content-gists, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to the confidentiality and integrity of their GitHub repositories. Exposure of Personal Access Tokens can lead to unauthorized access to source code, potentially including proprietary or sensitive intellectual property. Attackers could clone, modify, or delete repositories, inject malicious code, or access private organizational data stored in GitHub. This could result in reputational damage, regulatory non-compliance (e.g., GDPR breaches if personal data is exposed), and operational disruption. Since many European companies rely on GitHub for software development and documentation, the impact spans multiple sectors including technology, finance, manufacturing, and government. Additionally, the vulnerability could be leveraged as a pivot point for further attacks within an organization's infrastructure. The public nature of the exploit (no authentication or user interaction needed) increases the risk of automated scanning and exploitation by malicious actors. The critical CVSS score underscores the potential for widespread and severe consequences if unmitigated.

European organizations should immediately upgrade docusaurus-plugin-content-gists to version 4.0.0 or later, which contains the fix that prevents Personal Access Tokens from being included in client-side bundles. Until the upgrade is applied, organizations should audit their Docusaurus sites for the presence of exposed tokens by inspecting the JavaScript bundles and source code served to clients. Any exposed tokens should be considered compromised and revoked immediately in GitHub, followed by issuing new tokens with minimal necessary scopes. Organizations should also review their build and deployment pipelines to ensure that sensitive tokens are never injected into client-side code or publicly accessible artifacts. Implementing environment variable management and secret scanning tools in CI/CD pipelines can help detect accidental token exposures early. Additionally, adopting the principle of least privilege for GitHub tokens—limiting scopes strictly to what is necessary for the build process—reduces potential damage if exposure occurs. Monitoring GitHub audit logs for unusual activity related to token usage is recommended to detect potential exploitation attempts. Finally, educating developers and DevOps teams about secure handling of secrets in static site generators and build tools will help prevent recurrence.