CVE-2024-56734: Better auth Better Auth Has An Open Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-8jhw-6pjj-8723
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CWE-601
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2024-56734 is a HIGH better auth has an open vulnerability (CWE-601: URL Redirection to Untrusted Site ('Open Redirect')) affecting Better auth libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves better auth has an open redirect vulnerability in verify email endpoint. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.1.6.

CVE-2024-56734 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2024-56734
GHSA Identifier GHSA-8jhw-6pjj-8723
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-601: URL Redirection to Untrusted Site ('Open Redirect')
Affected Product Better auth
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2024-56734

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

better-auth fixed: 1.1.6 
npm install better-auth@1.1.6
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 better-auth

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2024-56734, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls better-auth

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Better auth in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.1.6), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls better-auth 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-601: URL Redirection to Untrusted Site ('Open Redirect'), where the web application accepts a user-controlled input that specifies a link to an external site, and uses that link in a redirect. In Better auth, 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

## Summary An **open redirect vulnerability** has been identified in the **verify email endpoint** of Better Auth, potentially allowing attackers to redirect users to malicious websites. This issue affects users relying on email verification links generated by the library. ## Affected Versions - All versions prior to **v1.1.6**. ## Impact Attackers could craft malicious email verification links that exploit the redirect functionality to send users to untrusted domains. This can result in: - **Phishing attacks** – Users may unknowingly enter sensitive information on fake login pages. - **Reputation damage** – Trust issues for applications using Better Auth. ## Vulnerability Details The verify email callback endpoint accepts a `callbackURL` parameter. Unlike other verification methods, email verification only uses JWT to verify and redirect without proper validation of the target domain. The origin checker is bypassed in this scenario because it only checks for `POST` requests. An attacker can manipulate this parameter to redirect users to arbitrary URLs controlled by the attacker. **Example Exploit:** ``` https://example.com/auth/verify-email?token=abcd1234&callbackURL=https://malicious-site.com ``` ## Patches Upgrade to Better Auth **v1.1.6** or later. This version enforces domain validation for `callbackURL` for `/verify-email` path and for all other `GET` endpoints. ## Workarounds You can also use hooks to pre-check URLs in your auth instance to prevent this without upgrading: ```ts const auth = betterAuth({ hooks: { before: (ctx) => { if (ctx.path === "/verify-email") { const callbackURL = ctx.query.callbackURL; // Check if this is a trusted callback URL or not } } } }) ```

CVE-2024-56734 Affected Better auth Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.1.6
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
better-auth
npm/better-auth
npm
< 1.1.6
1.1.6

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/security/advisories/GHSA-8jhw-6pjj-8723
NVD — CVE-2024-56734 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-56734
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/commit/deb3d73aea90d0468d92723f4511542b593e522f
Better auth Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2024-56734?
CVE-2024-56734 is a security vulnerability in Better auth involving Better Auth has an Open Redirect Vulnerability in Verify Email Endpoint under CWE-601: URL Redirection to Untrusted Site ('Open Redirect').
Which Better auth versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.1.6 across affected packages: better-auth.
What version fixes CVE-2024-56734?
Upgrading to 1.1.6 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is better-auth affected?
Yes, better-auth is affected in releases prior to 1.1.6. Upgrade your dependency to 1.1.6 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2024-56734?
CVE-2024-56734 is classified under CWE-601: URL Redirection to Untrusted Site ('Open Redirect') (The web application accepts a user-controlled input that specifies a link to an external site, and uses that link in a redirect.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2024-56734?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls better-auth'. 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-8jhw-6pjj-8723",
  "modified" : "2024-12-30T18:45:17Z",
  "published" : "2024-12-30T16:49:12Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2024-56734" ],
  "summary" : "Better Auth has an Open Redirect Vulnerability in Verify Email Endpoint",
  "details" : "## Summary\nAn **open redirect vulnerability** has been identified in the **verify email endpoint** of Better Auth, potentially allowing attackers to redirect users to malicious websites. This issue affects users relying on email verification links generated by the library.\n\n## Affected Versions\n- All versions prior to **v1.1.6**.\n\n## Impact\nAttackers could craft malicious email verification links that exploit the redirect functionality to send users to untrusted domains. This can result in:\n\n- **Phishing attacks** – Users may unknowingly enter sensitive information on fake login pages.\n- **Reputation damage** – Trust issues for applications using Better Auth.\n\n## Vulnerability Details\nThe verify email callback endpoint accepts a `callbackURL` parameter. Unlike other verification methods, email verification only uses JWT to verify and redirect without proper validation of the target domain. The origin checker is bypassed in this scenario because it only checks for `POST` requests. An attacker can manipulate this parameter to redirect users to arbitrary URLs controlled by the attacker.\n\n**Example Exploit:**\n```\nhttps://example.com/auth/verify-email?token=abcd1234&callbackURL=https://malicious-site.com\n```\n\n## Patches\nUpgrade to Better Auth **v1.1.6** or later. This version enforces domain validation for `callbackURL` for `/verify-email` path and for all other `GET` endpoints.\n\n## Workarounds\nYou can also use hooks to pre-check URLs in your auth instance to prevent this without upgrading:\n\n```ts\nconst auth = betterAuth({\n    hooks: {\n         before: (ctx) => {\n            if (ctx.path === \"/verify-email\") {\n               const callbackURL = ctx.query.callbackURL; // Check if this is a trusted callback URL or not\n            }\n         }\n    }\n})\n```",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "better-auth"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.1.6"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/security/advisories/GHSA-8jhw-6pjj-8723"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-56734"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/commit/deb3d73aea90d0468d92723f4511542b593e522f"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-601" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-12-30T16:49:12Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2024-12-30T17:15:10Z"
  }
}