CVE-2016-10523: Mqtt packet Denial of Service Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-g3r2-65gc-qpqc
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CWE-400
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2016-10523 is a HIGH denial of service vulnerability (CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) affecting Mqtt packet libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves denial of service in mqtt-packet. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.4.6, 4.0.5.

CVE-2016-10523 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2016-10523
GHSA Identifier GHSA-g3r2-65gc-qpqc
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
Affected Product Mqtt packet
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2016-10523

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

mqtt-packet fixed: 3.4.6 
npm install mqtt-packet@3.4.6
mqtt-packet fixed: 4.0.5 
npm install mqtt-packet@4.0.5
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 mqtt-packet

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2016-10523, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls mqtt-packet

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Mqtt packet in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.4.6), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls mqtt-packet 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 Mqtt packet, 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 `mqtt-packet` prior to 3.4.6, or 4.x prior to 4.0.5 are affected by a denial of service vulnerability wherein specific sequences of MQTT packets can crash the application. ## Recommendation Version 3.x: Update to version 3.4.6 or later. Version 4.x: Update to version 4.0.5 or later.

CVE-2016-10523 Affected Mqtt packet Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.4.64.0.5
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
mqtt-packet
npm/mqtt-packet
npm
< 3.4.6
3.4.6
mqtt-packet
npm/mqtt-packet
npm
≥ 4.0.0
< 4.0.5
4.0.5

References

NVD — CVE-2016-10523 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-10523
Mqtt packet Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/mcollina/mosca/issues/393
Mqtt packet Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/mqttjs/mqtt-packet/pull/8
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-g3r2-65gc-qpqc
www.npmjs.com/advisories/75 WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/75

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2016-10523?
CVE-2016-10523 is a security vulnerability in Mqtt packet involving Denial of Service in mqtt-packet under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption.
Which Mqtt packet versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.4.6, 4.0.5 across affected packages: mqtt-packet.
What version fixes CVE-2016-10523?
Upgrading to 3.4.6, 4.0.5 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is mqtt-packet affected?
Yes, mqtt-packet is affected in releases prior to 3.4.6, 4.0.5. Upgrade your dependency to 3.4.6, 4.0.5 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2016-10523?
CVE-2016-10523 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-2016-10523?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls mqtt-packet'. 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-g3r2-65gc-qpqc",
  "modified" : "2021-01-08T18:50:02Z",
  "published" : "2019-02-18T23:38:45Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2016-10523" ],
  "summary" : "Denial of Service in mqtt-packet",
  "details" : "Versions of `mqtt-packet` prior to 3.4.6, or 4.x prior to 4.0.5 are affected by a denial of service vulnerability wherein specific sequences of MQTT packets can crash the application.\n\n\n\n\n## Recommendation\n\nVersion 3.x: Update to version 3.4.6 or later.\nVersion 4.x: Update to version 4.0.5 or later.",
  "severity" : [ ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "mqtt-packet"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.4.6"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "mqtt-packet"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.0.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-10523"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mcollina/mosca/issues/393"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mqttjs/mqtt-packet/pull/8"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-g3r2-65gc-qpqc"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/75"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-400" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:36:00Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}