CVE-2018-12457: Express cart Express-cart Allows Any User To Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-hr89-w7p6-pjmq
Share
CVSS 8.8
CWE-732
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-12457 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.8) express-cart allows any user to vulnerability (CWE-732: Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource) affecting Express cart libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves express-cart allows any user to create an admin user. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.1.6.

CVE-2018-12457 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-12457
GHSA Identifier GHSA-hr89-w7p6-pjmq
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.8
CWE Classification CWE-732: Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource
Affected Product Express cart
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2018-12457

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

express-cart fixed: 1.1.6 
npm install express-cart@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 express-cart

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2018-12457, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls express-cart

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Express cart 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 express-cart 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-732: Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource, where the product specifies permissions for a security-critical resource in a way that allows that resource to be read or modified by unintended actors. In Express cart, 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

Express-Cart before 1.1.6 allows remote attackers to create an admin user via an `/admin/setup` Referer header.

CVE-2018-12457 Affected Express cart Versions

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

References

NVD — CVE-2018-12457 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-12457
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/mrvautin/expressCart/commit/baccaae9b0b72f00b10c5453ca00231340ad3e3b
hackerone.com/reports/343626 WEB
https://hackerone.com/reports/343626
Express cart Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/mrvautin/expressCart
Express cart Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/nodejs/security-wg/blob/main/vuln/npm/469.json
snyk.io/vuln/npm:express-ca... WEB
https://snyk.io/vuln/npm:express-cart:20180712
www.npmjs.com/advisories/730 WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/730
www.npmjs.com/package/express-car... WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/package/express-cart?activeTab=versions

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-12457?
CVE-2018-12457 is a security vulnerability in Express cart involving express-cart allows any user to create an admin user under CWE-732: Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource.
Which Express cart versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.1.6 across affected packages: express-cart.
What version fixes CVE-2018-12457?
Upgrading to 1.1.6 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is express-cart affected?
Yes, express-cart is affected in releases prior to 1.1.6. Upgrade your dependency to 1.1.6 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-12457?
CVE-2018-12457 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-12457?
CVE-2018-12457 is classified under CWE-732: Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource (The product specifies permissions for a security-critical resource in a way that allows that resource to be read or modified by unintended actors.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2018-12457?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls express-cart'. 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-hr89-w7p6-pjmq",
  "modified" : "2026-02-03T17:00:36Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-13T01:49:36Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-12457" ],
  "summary" : "express-cart allows any user to create an admin user",
  "details" : "Express-Cart before 1.1.6 allows remote attackers to create an admin user via an `/admin/setup` Referer header.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "express-cart"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.1.6"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-12457"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mrvautin/expressCart/commit/baccaae9b0b72f00b10c5453ca00231340ad3e3b"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://hackerone.com/reports/343626"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mrvautin/expressCart"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/nodejs/security-wg/blob/main/vuln/npm/469.json"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/npm:express-cart:20180712"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/730"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/package/express-cart?activeTab=versions"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-732" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-04-01T22:03:23Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2018-06-15T14:29:00Z"
  }
}