CVE-2019-10742: Axios Denial of Service Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-42xw-2xvc-qx8m
Share
CVSS 7.5
CWE-755 CWE-20
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2019-10742 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) denial of service vulnerability (CWE-755: Improper Handling of Exceptional Conditions) affecting Axios libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves denial of service in axios. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.18.1.

CVE-2019-10742 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2019-10742
GHSA Identifier GHSA-42xw-2xvc-qx8m
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-755: Improper Handling of Exceptional Conditions
Affected Product Axios
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: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-2019-10742

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

axios fixed: 0.18.1 
npm install axios@0.18.1
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 axios

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2019-10742, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls axios

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Axios in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.18.1), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls axios 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-755: Improper Handling of Exceptional Conditions, where the product does not handle or incorrectly handles an exceptional condition. In Axios, 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

Versions of `axios` prior to 0.18.1 are vulnerable to Denial of Service. If a request exceeds the `maxContentLength` property, the package prints an error but does not stop the request. This may cause high CPU usage and lead to Denial of Service. ## Recommendation Upgrade to 0.18.1 or later.

CVE-2019-10742 Affected Axios Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.18.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
axios
npm/axios
npm
< 0.18.1
0.18.1

References

NVD — CVE-2019-10742 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-10742
Axios Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/axios/axios/issues/1098
Axios Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/axios/axios/pull/1485
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/axios/axios/commit/acabfbdf00a58bb866c9d070e8a10d1d0dbeb572
app.snyk.io/vuln/snyk-js-axios-... WEB
https://app.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-AXIOS-174505
snyk.io/vuln/snyk-js-axios-... WEB
https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-AXIOS-174505
www.npmjs.com/advisories/880 WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/880

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2019-10742?
CVE-2019-10742 is a security vulnerability in Axios involving Denial of Service in axios under CWE-755: Improper Handling of Exceptional Conditions.
Which Axios versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.18.1 across affected packages: axios.
What version fixes CVE-2019-10742?
Upgrading to 0.18.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is axios affected?
Yes, axios is affected in releases prior to 0.18.1. Upgrade your dependency to 0.18.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2019-10742?
CVE-2019-10742 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:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2019-10742?
CVE-2019-10742 is classified under CWE-755: Improper Handling of Exceptional Conditions (The product does not handle or incorrectly handles an exceptional condition.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2019-10742?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls axios'. 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-42xw-2xvc-qx8m",
  "modified" : "2021-07-27T20:36:18Z",
  "published" : "2019-05-29T18:04:45Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2019-10742" ],
  "summary" : "Denial of Service in axios",
  "details" : "Versions of `axios` prior to 0.18.1 are vulnerable to Denial of Service. If a request exceeds the `maxContentLength` property, the package prints an error but does not stop the request. This may cause high CPU usage and lead to Denial of Service.\n\n\n## Recommendation\n\nUpgrade to 0.18.1 or later.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "axios"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.18.1"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 0.18.0"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-10742"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/axios/axios/issues/1098"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/axios/axios/pull/1485"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/axios/axios/commit/acabfbdf00a58bb866c9d070e8a10d1d0dbeb572"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://app.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-AXIOS-174505"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-AXIOS-174505"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/880"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-20", "CWE-755" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2019-05-14T15:22:47Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2019-05-07T19:29:00Z"
  }
}