CVE-2023-40028: Ghost Ghost Vulnerable To Arbitrary File Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-9c9v-w225-v5rg
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CVSS 4.9
CWE-59 CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-40028 is a MODERATE (CVSS 4.9) ghost vulnerable to arbitrary file vulnerability (CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')) affecting Ghost libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves ghost vulnerable to arbitrary file read via symlinks in content import. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 5.59.1.

CVE-2023-40028 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-40028
GHSA Identifier GHSA-9c9v-w225-v5rg
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 4.9
CWE Classification CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
Affected Product Ghost
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 4.9

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required High (PR:H)
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-2023-40028

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

ghost fixed: 5.59.1 
npm install ghost@5.59.1
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 ghost

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2023-40028, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls ghost

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Ghost in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 5.59.1), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls ghost 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-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following'), where the product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource. In Ghost, 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

### Impact A vulnerability in Ghost allows authenticated users to upload files which are symlinks. This can be exploited to perform an arbitrary file read of any file on the operating system. Site administrators can check for exploitation of this issue by looking for unknown symlinks within Ghost's `content/` folder ### Vulnerable versions This security vulnerability is present in Ghost ≤ v5.59.0. ### Patches v5.59.1 contains a fix for this issue. ### For more information If you have any questions or comments about this advisory: * Email us at [security@ghost.org](mailto:security@ghost.org)

CVE-2023-40028 Affected Ghost Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
5.59.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
ghost
npm/ghost
npm
< 5.59.1
5.59.1

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/security/advisories/GHSA-9c9v-w225-v5rg
NVD — CVE-2023-40028 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-40028
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/commit/690fbf3f7302ff3f77159c0795928bdd20f41205
Ghost Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-40028?
CVE-2023-40028 is a security vulnerability in Ghost involving Ghost vulnerable to arbitrary file read via symlinks in content import under CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following').
Which Ghost versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 5.59.1 across affected packages: ghost.
What version fixes CVE-2023-40028?
Upgrading to 5.59.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is ghost affected?
Yes, ghost is affected in releases prior to 5.59.1. Upgrade your dependency to 5.59.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-40028?
CVE-2023-40028 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.9 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-40028?
CVE-2023-40028 is classified under CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following') (The product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2023-40028?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls ghost'. 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-9c9v-w225-v5rg",
  "modified" : "2023-08-23T17:19:50Z",
  "published" : "2023-08-15T20:35:20Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-40028" ],
  "summary" : "Ghost vulnerable to arbitrary file read via symlinks in content import",
  "details" : "### Impact\n\nA vulnerability in Ghost allows authenticated users to upload files which are symlinks. This can be exploited to perform an arbitrary file read of any file on the operating system.\n\nSite administrators can check for exploitation of this issue by looking for unknown symlinks within Ghost's `content/` folder\n\n### Vulnerable versions\n\nThis security vulnerability is present in Ghost ≤ v5.59.0.\n\n### Patches\n\nv5.59.1 contains a fix for this issue.\n\n### For more information\n\nIf you have any questions or comments about this advisory:\n* Email us at [security@ghost.org](mailto:security@ghost.org)\n",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "ghost"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "5.59.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/security/advisories/GHSA-9c9v-w225-v5rg"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-40028"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/commit/690fbf3f7302ff3f77159c0795928bdd20f41205"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22", "CWE-59" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-08-15T20:35:20Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-08-15T18:15:10Z"
  }
}