CVE-2023-48309: Next auth Possible User Mocking That Bypasses Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-v64w-49xw-qq89
CVSS 5.3
CWE-285
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-48309 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.3) possible user mocking that bypasses vulnerability (CWE-285: Improper Authorization) affecting Next auth libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves possible user mocking that bypasses basic authentication. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.24.5.

CVE-2023-48309 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-48309
GHSA Identifier GHSA-v64w-49xw-qq89
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.3
CWE Classification CWE-285: Improper Authorization
Affected Product Next auth
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:L/I:N/A:N).

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

How to Fix CVE-2023-48309

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Next 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.

next-auth fixed: 4.24.5
npm install next-auth@4.24.5
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 next-auth

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2023-48309, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls next-auth

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Next auth in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 4.24.5), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls next-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-285: Improper Authorization, where the product does not perform or incorrectly performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action. In Next 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

### Impact `next-auth` applications prior to version **4.24.5** that rely on the default [Middleware authorization](https://next-auth.js.org/configuration/nextjs#middleware) are affected. A bad actor could create an empty/mock user, by getting hold of a NextAuth.js-issued JWT from an interrupted OAuth sign-in flow (state, PKCE or nonce). Manually overriding the `next-auth.session-token` cookie value with this non-related JWT would let the user simulate a logged in user, albeit having no user information associated with it. (The only property on this user is an opaque randomly generated string). This vulnerability does **not** give access to other users' data, neither to resources that require proper authorization via scopes or other means. The created mock user has no information associated with it (ie. no name, email, access_token, etc.) This vulnerability can be exploited by bad actors to peek at logged in user states (e.g. dashboard layout). _Note: Regardless of the vulnerability, the existence of a NextAuth.js session state can provide simple authentication, but not authorization in your applications. For role-based access control, you can check out [our guide](https://authjs.dev/guides/basics/role-based-access-control)._ ### Patches We patched the vulnerability in `next-auth` `v4.24.5`. To upgrade, run one of the following: ``` npm i next-auth@latest ``` ``` yarn add next-auth@latest ``` ``` pnpm add next-auth@latest ``` ### Workarounds Upgrading to `latest` is the recommended way to fix this issue. However, using [a custom authorization callback for Middleware](https://next-auth.js.org/configuration/nextjs#advanced-usage), developers can manually do a basic authentication: ```ts // middleware.ts import { withAuth } from "next-auth/middleware" export default withAuth(/*your middleware function*/, { // checking the existence of any property - besides `value` which might be a random string - on the `token` object is sufficient to prevent this vulnerability callbacks: { authorized: ({ token }) => !!token?.email } }) ``` ### References - [NextAuth.js Middleware](https://next-auth.js.org/configuration/nextjs#middleware) - [Role-based access contorl (RBAC) guide](https://authjs.dev/guides/basics/role-based-access-control)

CVE-2023-48309 Affected Next auth Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.24.5
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
next-auth
npm
< 4.24.5
4.24.5

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-48309?
CVE-2023-48309 is a security vulnerability in Next auth involving Possible user mocking that bypasses basic authentication under CWE-285: Improper Authorization.
Which Next auth versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.24.5 across affected packages: next-auth.
What version fixes CVE-2023-48309?
Upgrading to 4.24.5 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is next-auth affected?
Yes, next-auth is affected in releases prior to 4.24.5. Upgrade your dependency to 4.24.5 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-48309?
CVE-2023-48309 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:L/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-48309?
CVE-2023-48309 is classified under CWE-285: Improper Authorization (The product does not perform or incorrectly performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2023-48309?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls next-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
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-v64w-49xw-qq89",
  "modified" : "2023-11-20T23:25:36Z",
  "published" : "2023-11-20T23:25:36Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-48309" ],
  "summary" : "Possible user mocking that bypasses basic authentication",
  "details" : "### Impact\n\n`next-auth` applications prior to version **4.24.5** that rely on the default [Middleware authorization](https://next-auth.js.org/configuration/nextjs#middleware) are affected.\n\nA bad actor could create an empty/mock user, by getting hold of a NextAuth.js-issued JWT from an interrupted OAuth sign-in flow (state, PKCE or nonce).\n\nManually overriding the `next-auth.session-token` cookie value with this non-related JWT would let the user simulate a logged in user, albeit having no user information associated with it. (The only property on this user is an opaque randomly generated string).\n\nThis vulnerability does **not** give access to other users' data, neither to resources that require proper authorization via scopes or other means. The created mock user has no information associated with it (ie. no name, email, access_token, etc.)\n\nThis vulnerability can be exploited by bad actors to peek at logged in user states (e.g. dashboard layout).\n\n_Note: Regardless of the vulnerability, the existence of a NextAuth.js session state can provide simple authentication, but not authorization in your applications. For role-based access control, you can check out [our guide](https://authjs.dev/guides/basics/role-based-access-control)._\n\n### Patches\n\nWe patched the vulnerability in `next-auth` `v4.24.5`. To upgrade, run one of the following:\n\n```\nnpm i next-auth@latest\n```\n```\nyarn add next-auth@latest\n```\n```\npnpm add next-auth@latest\n```\n\n### Workarounds\n\nUpgrading to `latest` is the recommended way to fix this issue. However, using [a custom authorization callback for Middleware](https://next-auth.js.org/configuration/nextjs#advanced-usage), developers can manually do a basic authentication:\n\n```ts\n// middleware.ts\nimport { withAuth } from \"next-auth/middleware\"\n\nexport default withAuth(/*your middleware function*/, {\n  // checking the existence of any property - besides `value` which might be a random string - on the `token` object is sufficient to prevent this vulnerability\n  callbacks: { authorized: ({ token }) => !!token?.email }\n})\n```\n\n### References\n\n- [NextAuth.js Middleware](https://next-auth.js.org/configuration/nextjs#middleware)\n- [Role-based access contorl (RBAC) guide](https://authjs.dev/guides/basics/role-based-access-control)",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "next-auth"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.24.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/nextauthjs/next-auth/security/advisories/GHSA-v64w-49xw-qq89"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-48309"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/nextauthjs/next-auth/commit/d237059b6d0cb868c041ba18b698e0cee20a2f10"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://authjs.dev/guides/basics/role-based-access-control"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/nextauthjs/next-auth"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://next-auth.js.org/configuration/nextjs#advanced-usage"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://next-auth.js.org/configuration/nextjs#middlewar"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-285" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-11-20T23:25:36Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-11-20T19:15:09Z"
  }
}