CVE-2019-17426: Mongoose Improper Input Validation Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-8687-vv9j-hgph
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CVSS 9.1
CWE-20
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2019-17426 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.1) improper input validation vulnerability (CWE-20: Improper Input Validation) affecting Mongoose libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves improper input validation in automattic mongoose. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 5.7.5, 4.13.21.

CVE-2019-17426 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2019-17426
GHSA Identifier GHSA-8687-vv9j-hgph
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.1
CWE Classification CWE-20: Improper Input Validation
Affected Product Mongoose
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.1

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:H/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 High (I:H)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2019-17426

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

mongoose fixed: 5.7.5 
npm install mongoose@5.7.5
mongoose fixed: 4.13.21 
npm install mongoose@4.13.21
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 mongoose

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2019-17426, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls mongoose

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Mongoose in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 5.7.5), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls mongoose 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-20: Improper Input Validation, where the product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly. In Mongoose, 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

Automattic Mongoose through 5.7.4 allows attackers to bypass access control (in some applications) because any query object with a `_bsontype` attribute is ignored. For example, adding `"_bsontype":"a"` can sometimes interfere with a query filter. NOTE: this CVE is about Mongoose's failure to work around this _bsontype special case that exists in older versions of the bson parser (aka the mongodb/js-bson project).

CVE-2019-17426 Affected Mongoose Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
5.7.54.13.21
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
mongoose
npm/mongoose
npm
≥ 5.0.0
< 5.7.5
5.7.5
mongoose
npm/mongoose
npm
< 4.13.21
4.13.21

References

NVD — CVE-2019-17426 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-17426
Mongoose Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/Automattic/mongoose/issues/8222
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/Automattic/mongoose/commit/f3eca5b94d822225c04e96cbeed9f095afb3c31c
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/Automattic/mongoose/commit/f88eb2524b65a68ff893c90a03c04f0913c1913e
Mongoose Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/Automattic/mongoose
Mongoose Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/Automattic/mongoose/commits/4.13.21
Mongoose Release RELEASE
https://github.com/Automattic/mongoose/releases/tag/4.13.21

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2019-17426?
CVE-2019-17426 is a security vulnerability in Mongoose involving Improper Input Validation in Automattic Mongoose under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation.
Which Mongoose versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 5.7.5, 4.13.21 across affected packages: mongoose.
What version fixes CVE-2019-17426?
Upgrading to 5.7.5, 4.13.21 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is mongoose affected?
Yes, mongoose is affected in releases prior to 5.7.5, 4.13.21. Upgrade your dependency to 5.7.5, 4.13.21 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2019-17426?
CVE-2019-17426 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.1 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2019-17426?
CVE-2019-17426 is classified under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation (The product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2019-17426?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls mongoose'. 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-8687-vv9j-hgph",
  "modified" : "2023-11-29T22:07:26Z",
  "published" : "2019-10-22T20:19:54Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2019-17426" ],
  "summary" : "Improper Input Validation in Automattic Mongoose",
  "details" : "Automattic Mongoose through 5.7.4 allows attackers to bypass access control (in some applications) because any query object with a `_bsontype` attribute is ignored. For example, adding `\"_bsontype\":\"a\"` can sometimes interfere with a query filter. NOTE: this CVE is about Mongoose's failure to work around this _bsontype special case that exists in older versions of the bson parser (aka the mongodb/js-bson project).",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "mongoose"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "5.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "5.7.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "mongoose"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.13.21"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-17426"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/Automattic/mongoose/issues/8222"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/Automattic/mongoose/commit/f3eca5b94d822225c04e96cbeed9f095afb3c31c"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/Automattic/mongoose/commit/f88eb2524b65a68ff893c90a03c04f0913c1913e"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/Automattic/mongoose"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/Automattic/mongoose/commits/4.13.21"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/Automattic/mongoose/releases/tag/4.13.21"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-20" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2019-10-14T18:05:37Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2019-10-10T02:05:00Z"
  }
}