CVE-2021-23392: Locutus Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-39q4-p535-c852
Share
CVSS 7.5
CWE-400
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-23392 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) affecting Locutus libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves uncontrolled resource consumption in locutus. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.0.15.

CVE-2021-23392 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-23392
GHSA Identifier GHSA-39q4-p535-c852
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
Affected Product Locutus
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality None (C:N)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2021-23392

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Locutus dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

locutus fixed: 2.0.15 
npm install locutus@2.0.15
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

npm ls locutus

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2021-23392, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls locutus

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Locutus in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.0.15), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls locutus command inspects dependencies declared in your package.json and lockfile; it does not perform automated runtime dynamic scanning.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption, where the product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource. In Locutus, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

The package locutus before 2.0.15 is vulnerable to Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) via the gopher_parsedir function.

CVE-2021-23392 Affected Locutus Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.0.15
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
locutus
npm/locutus
npm
< 2.0.15
2.0.15

References

NVD — CVE-2021-23392 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-23392
Locutus Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/locutusjs/locutus/pull/446
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/locutusjs/locutus/commit/eb863321990e7e5514aa14f68b8d9978ece9e65e
snyk.io/vuln/snyk-js-locutu... WEB
https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-LOCUTUS-1090597

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-23392?
CVE-2021-23392 is a security vulnerability in Locutus involving Uncontrolled Resource Consumption in locutus under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption.
Which Locutus versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.0.15 across affected packages: locutus.
What version fixes CVE-2021-23392?
Upgrading to 2.0.15 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is locutus affected?
Yes, locutus is affected in releases prior to 2.0.15. Upgrade your dependency to 2.0.15 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-23392?
CVE-2021-23392 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-23392?
CVE-2021-23392 is classified under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption (The product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2021-23392?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls locutus'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-39q4-p535-c852",
  "modified" : "2023-09-07T21:45:40Z",
  "published" : "2021-06-10T17:25:05Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-23392" ],
  "summary" : "Uncontrolled Resource Consumption in locutus",
  "details" : "The package locutus before 2.0.15 is vulnerable to Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) via the gopher_parsedir function.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "locutus"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.0.15"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-23392"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/locutusjs/locutus/pull/446"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/locutusjs/locutus/commit/eb863321990e7e5514aa14f68b8d9978ece9e65e"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-LOCUTUS-1090597"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-400" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-06-09T20:22:09Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-06-08T08:15:00Z"
  }
}