CVE-2022-21208: Node opcua Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-4hr4-pjjh-2q2w
Share
CVSS 7.5
CWE-400
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2022-21208 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) affecting Node opcua libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves uncontrolled resource consumption in node-opcua. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.74.0.

CVE-2022-21208 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2022-21208
GHSA Identifier GHSA-4hr4-pjjh-2q2w
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
Affected Product Node opcua
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-2022-21208

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

node-opcua fixed: 2.74.0 
npm install node-opcua@2.74.0
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 node-opcua

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2022-21208, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls node-opcua

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Node opcua in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.74.0), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls node-opcua 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 Node opcua, 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 node-opcua before 2.74.0 are vulnerable to Denial of Service (DoS) due to a missing limitation on the number of received chunks - per single session or in total for all concurrent sessions. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending an unlimited number of huge chunks (e.g. 2GB each) without sending the Final closing chunk.

CVE-2022-21208 Affected Node opcua Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.74.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
node-opcua
npm/node-opcua
npm
< 2.74.0
2.74.0

References

NVD — CVE-2022-21208 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-21208
Node opcua Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/node-opcua/node-opcua/pull/1149
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/node-opcua/node-opcua/commit/33ca3bab4ab781392a2f8d8f5a14de9a0aa0e410
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/node-opcua/node-opcua/commit/dbcb5d5191118c22ee9c89332a94b94e6553d76b
Node opcua Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/node-opcua/node-opcua
Node opcua Security Information SECURITY
https://security.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-NODEOPCUA-2988723

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-21208?
CVE-2022-21208 is a security vulnerability in Node opcua involving Uncontrolled Resource Consumption in node-opcua under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption.
Which Node opcua versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.74.0 across affected packages: node-opcua.
What version fixes CVE-2022-21208?
Upgrading to 2.74.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is node-opcua affected?
Yes, node-opcua is affected in releases prior to 2.74.0. Upgrade your dependency to 2.74.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2022-21208?
CVE-2022-21208 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-2022-21208?
CVE-2022-21208 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-2022-21208?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls node-opcua'. 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-4hr4-pjjh-2q2w",
  "modified" : "2022-08-30T20:51:43Z",
  "published" : "2022-08-24T00:00:31Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2022-21208" ],
  "summary" : "Uncontrolled Resource Consumption in node-opcua",
  "details" : "The package node-opcua before 2.74.0 are vulnerable to Denial of Service (DoS) due to a missing limitation on the number of received chunks - per single session or in total for all concurrent sessions. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending an unlimited number of huge chunks (e.g. 2GB each) without sending the Final closing chunk.",
  "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" : "node-opcua"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.74.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-21208"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/node-opcua/node-opcua/pull/1149"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/node-opcua/node-opcua/commit/33ca3bab4ab781392a2f8d8f5a14de9a0aa0e410"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/node-opcua/node-opcua/commit/dbcb5d5191118c22ee9c89332a94b94e6553d76b"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/node-opcua/node-opcua"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-NODEOPCUA-2988723"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-400" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-08-30T20:51:43Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-08-23T05:15:00Z"
  }
}