CVE-2020-36651: Web node server Path Traversal Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-3fwq-qv5v-2wxf
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-36651 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Web node server libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves path traversal in web-node-server. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.0.11.

CVE-2020-36651 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-36651
GHSA Identifier GHSA-3fwq-qv5v-2wxf
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Affected Product Web node server
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:H/I:N/A:N).

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 High (C:H)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2020-36651

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

web-node-server fixed: 0.0.11 
npm install web-node-server@0.0.11
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 web-node-server

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2020-36651, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls web-node-server

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Web node server in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.0.11), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls web-node-server 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-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal'), where the product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory. In Web node server, 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

A vulnerability has been found in youngerheart nodeserver and classified as critical. Affected by this vulnerability is an unknown functionality of the file nodeserver.js. The manipulation leads to path traversal. The name of the patch is c4c0f0138ab5afbac58e03915d446680421bde28. It is recommended to apply a patch to fix this issue. The identifier VDB-218461 was assigned to this vulnerability.

CVE-2020-36651 Affected Web node server Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.0.11
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
web-node-server
npm/web-node-server
npm
< 0.0.11
0.0.11

References

NVD — CVE-2020-36651 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-36651
Web node server Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/youngerheart/nodeserver/pull/6
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/youngerheart/nodeserver/commit/c4c0f0138ab5afbac58e03915d446680421bde28
Web node server Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/youngerheart/nodeserver
vuldb.com/ WEB
https://vuldb.com/?ctiid.218461
vuldb.com/ WEB
https://vuldb.com/?id.218461

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-36651?
CVE-2020-36651 is a security vulnerability in Web node server involving Path Traversal in web-node-server under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Web node server versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.0.11 across affected packages: web-node-server.
What version fixes CVE-2020-36651?
Upgrading to 0.0.11 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is web-node-server affected?
Yes, web-node-server is affected in releases prior to 0.0.11. Upgrade your dependency to 0.0.11 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-36651?
CVE-2020-36651 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:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-36651?
CVE-2020-36651 is classified under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') (The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2020-36651?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls web-node-server'. 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-3fwq-qv5v-2wxf",
  "modified" : "2023-10-20T22:39:37Z",
  "published" : "2023-01-18T03:31:17Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-36651" ],
  "summary" : "Path Traversal in web-node-server",
  "details" : "A vulnerability has been found in youngerheart nodeserver and classified as critical. Affected by this vulnerability is an unknown functionality of the file nodeserver.js. The manipulation leads to path traversal. The name of the patch is c4c0f0138ab5afbac58e03915d446680421bde28. It is recommended to apply a patch to fix this issue. The identifier VDB-218461 was assigned to this vulnerability.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "web-node-server"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.0.11"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-36651"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/youngerheart/nodeserver/pull/6"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/youngerheart/nodeserver/commit/c4c0f0138ab5afbac58e03915d446680421bde28"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/youngerheart/nodeserver"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://vuldb.com/?ctiid.218461"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://vuldb.com/?id.218461"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-01-25T22:03:31Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-01-18T01:15:00Z"
  }
}