CVE-2023-4316: Zod Denial of Service Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-m95q-7qp3-xv42
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CVSS 5.3
CWE-1333
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-4316 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.3) denial of service vulnerability (CWE-1333: Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity) affecting Zod libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves zod denial of service vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.22.3.

CVE-2023-4316 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-4316
GHSA Identifier GHSA-m95q-7qp3-xv42
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.3
CWE Classification CWE-1333: Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity
Affected Product Zod
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.3

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:N/I:N/A:L).

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 None (C:N)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability Low (A:L)

How to Fix CVE-2023-4316

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

zod fixed: 3.22.3 
npm install zod@3.22.3
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 zod

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2023-4316, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls zod

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Zod in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.22.3), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls zod 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-1333: Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity, where the product uses a regular expression with a worst-case computational complexity that is inefficient and possibly exponential. In Zod, 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

Zod version 3.22.2 allows an attacker to perform a denial of service while validating emails.

CVE-2023-4316 Affected Zod Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.22.3
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
zod
npm/zod
npm
< 3.22.3
3.22.3

References

NVD — CVE-2023-4316 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-4316
Zod Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/colinhacks/zod/issues/2609
Zod Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/colinhacks/zod/pull/2824
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/colinhacks/zod/commit/2ba00fe2377f4d53947a84b8cdb314a63bbd6dd4
fluidattacks.com/advisories/swift WEB
https://fluidattacks.com/advisories/swift
Zod Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/colinhacks/zod
Zod Release RELEASE
https://github.com/colinhacks/zod/releases/tag/v3.22.3
www.npmjs.com/package/zod WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/package/zod

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-4316?
CVE-2023-4316 is a security vulnerability in Zod involving Zod denial of service vulnerability under CWE-1333: Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity.
Which Zod versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.22.3 across affected packages: zod.
What version fixes CVE-2023-4316?
Upgrading to 3.22.3 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is zod affected?
Yes, zod is affected in releases prior to 3.22.3. Upgrade your dependency to 3.22.3 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-4316?
CVE-2023-4316 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.3 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-4316?
CVE-2023-4316 is classified under CWE-1333: Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity (The product uses a regular expression with a worst-case computational complexity that is inefficient and possibly exponential.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2023-4316?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls zod'. 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-m95q-7qp3-xv42",
  "modified" : "2024-09-06T19:11:37Z",
  "published" : "2023-09-28T21:30:58Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-4316" ],
  "summary" : "Zod denial of service vulnerability",
  "details" : "Zod version 3.22.2 allows an attacker to perform a denial of service while validating emails.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "zod"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.22.3"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 3.22.2"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-4316"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/colinhacks/zod/issues/2609"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/colinhacks/zod/pull/2824"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/colinhacks/zod/commit/2ba00fe2377f4d53947a84b8cdb314a63bbd6dd4"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://fluidattacks.com/advisories/swift"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/colinhacks/zod"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/colinhacks/zod/releases/tag/v3.22.3"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/package/zod"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-1333" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-10-02T16:26:26Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-09-28T21:15:10Z"
  }
}