CVE-2019-8903: Total.js Path Traversal Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-3q32-j57w-q4w7
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2019-8903 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Total.js libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves path traversal in total.js. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.2.3.

CVE-2019-8903 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2019-8903
GHSA Identifier GHSA-3q32-j57w-q4w7
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 Total.js
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:3.0/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-2019-8903

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

total.js fixed: 3.2.3 
npm install total.js@3.2.3
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 total.js

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2019-8903, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls total.js

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Total.js in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.2.3), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls total.js 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 Total.js, 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

Affected versions of `total.js` are vulnerable to Path Traversal. Due to insufficient input sanitization in URLs, attackers can access server files outside the `/public` folder by using relative paths. The files served are limited to these file types: `flac`, `jpg`, `jpeg`, `png`, `gif`, `ico`, `js`, `css`, `txt`, `xml`, `woff`, `woff2`, `otf`, `ttf`, `eot`, `svg`, `zip`, `rar`, `pdf`, `docx`, `xlsx`, `doc`, `xls`, `html`, `htm`, `appcache`, `manifest`, `map`, `ogv`, `ogg`, `mp4`, `mp3`, `webp`, `webm`, `swf`, `package`, `json`, `md`, `m4v`, `jsx`, `heif`, `heic`. ## Recommendation - If you are using version 2.1.x, upgrade to 2.1.1 or later. - If you are using version 2.2.x, upgrade to 2.2.1 or later. - If you are using version 2.3.x, upgrade to 2.3.1 or later. - If you are using version 2.4.x, upgrade to 2.4.1 or later. - If you are using version 2.5.x, upgrade to 2.5.1 or later. - If you are using version 2.6.x, upgrade to 2.6.3 or later. - If you are using version 2.7.x, upgrade to 2.7.1 or later. - If you are using version 2.8.x, upgrade to 2.8.1 or later. - If you are using version 2.9.x, upgrade to 2.9.5 or later. - If you are using version 3.0.x, upgrade to 3.0.1 or later. - If you are using version 3.1.x, upgrade to 3.1.1 or later. - If you are using version 3.2.x, upgrade to 3.2.4 or later.

CVE-2019-8903 Affected Total.js Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.2.3
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
total.js
npm/total.js
npm
< 3.2.3
3.2.3

References

NVD — CVE-2019-8903 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-8903
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/totaljs/framework/commit/c37cafbf3e379a98db71c1125533d1e8d5b5aef7
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/totaljs/framework/commit/de16238d13848149f5d1dae51f54e397a525932b
Total.js Security Information SECURITY
https://blog.certimetergroup.com/it/articolo/security/total.js-directory-traversal-cve-2019-8903
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-3q32-j57w-q4w7
Total.js Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/totaljs/framework
www.npmjs.com/advisories/1026 WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/1026

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2019-8903?
CVE-2019-8903 is a security vulnerability in Total.js involving Path Traversal in total.js under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Total.js versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.2.3 across affected packages: total.js.
What version fixes CVE-2019-8903?
Upgrading to 3.2.3 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is total.js affected?
Yes, total.js is affected in releases prior to 3.2.3. Upgrade your dependency to 3.2.3 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2019-8903?
CVE-2019-8903 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2019-8903?
CVE-2019-8903 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-2019-8903?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls total.js'. 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-3q32-j57w-q4w7",
  "modified" : "2021-08-31T21:22:06Z",
  "published" : "2019-02-20T15:40:13Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2019-8903" ],
  "summary" : "Path Traversal in total.js",
  "details" : "Affected versions of `total.js` are vulnerable to Path Traversal.  Due to insufficient input sanitization in URLs, attackers can access server files outside the `/public` folder by using relative paths.  \nThe files served are limited to these file types: `flac`, `jpg`, `jpeg`, `png`, `gif`, `ico`, `js`, `css`, `txt`, `xml`, `woff`, `woff2`, `otf`, `ttf`, `eot`, `svg`, `zip`, `rar`, `pdf`, `docx`, `xlsx`, `doc`, `xls`, `html`, `htm`, `appcache`, `manifest`, `map`, `ogv`, `ogg`, `mp4`, `mp3`, `webp`, `webm`, `swf`, `package`, `json`, `md`, `m4v`, `jsx`, `heif`, `heic`.\n\n\n## Recommendation\n\n- If you are using version 2.1.x, upgrade to 2.1.1 or later.\n- If you are using version 2.2.x, upgrade to 2.2.1 or later.\n- If you are using version 2.3.x, upgrade to 2.3.1 or later.\n- If you are using version 2.4.x, upgrade to 2.4.1 or later.\n- If you are using version 2.5.x, upgrade to 2.5.1 or later.\n- If you are using version 2.6.x, upgrade to 2.6.3 or later.\n- If you are using version 2.7.x, upgrade to 2.7.1 or later.\n- If you are using version 2.8.x, upgrade to 2.8.1 or later.\n- If you are using version 2.9.x, upgrade to 2.9.5 or later.\n- If you are using version 3.0.x, upgrade to 3.0.1 or later.\n- If you are using version 3.1.x, upgrade to 3.1.1 or later.\n- If you are using version 3.2.x, upgrade to 3.2.4 or later.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "total.js"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.2.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-8903"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/totaljs/framework/commit/c37cafbf3e379a98db71c1125533d1e8d5b5aef7"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/totaljs/framework/commit/de16238d13848149f5d1dae51f54e397a525932b"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://blog.certimetergroup.com/it/articolo/security/total.js-directory-traversal-cve-2019-8903"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-3q32-j57w-q4w7"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/totaljs/framework"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/1026"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T20:55:54Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}