CVE-2023-26045: Nodebb Path Traversal Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-vh2g-6c4x-5hmp
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CVSS 10.0
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-26045 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 10.0) path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Nodebb libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves path traversal and code execution via prototype vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.8.7.

CVE-2023-26045 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-26045
GHSA Identifier GHSA-vh2g-6c4x-5hmp
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 10.0
CWE Classification CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Affected Product Nodebb
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 10.0

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:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).

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

How to Fix CVE-2023-26045

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

nodebb fixed: 2.8.7 
npm install nodebb@2.8.7
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 nodebb

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2023-26045, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls nodebb

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Nodebb in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.8.7), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls nodebb 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-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal'), where the product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory. In Nodebb, 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 Due to the use of the [object destructuring assignment](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Operators/Destructuring_assignment) syntax in the user export code path, combined with a path traversal vulnerability, a specially crafted payload could invoke the user export logic to arbitrarily execute javascript files on the local disk. ### Patches Patched in v2.8.7 ### Workarounds Site maintainers can cherry pick ec58700f6dff8e5b4af1544f6205ec362b593092 into their codebase to patch the exploit.

CVE-2023-26045 Affected Nodebb Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.8.7
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
nodebb
npm/nodebb
npm
≥ 2.5.0
< 2.8.7
2.8.7

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/NodeBB/NodeBB/security/advisories/GHSA-vh2g-6c4x-5hmp
NVD — CVE-2023-26045 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-26045
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/NodeBB/NodeBB/commit/ec58700f6dff8e5b4af1544f6205ec362b593092
Nodebb Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/NodeBB/NodeBB
Nodebb Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20230831-0004

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-26045?
CVE-2023-26045 is a security vulnerability in Nodebb involving Path traversal and code execution via prototype vulnerability under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Nodebb versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.8.7 across affected packages: nodebb.
What version fixes CVE-2023-26045?
Upgrading to 2.8.7 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is nodebb affected?
Yes, nodebb is affected in releases prior to 2.8.7. Upgrade your dependency to 2.8.7 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-26045?
CVE-2023-26045 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 10.0 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-26045?
CVE-2023-26045 is classified under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') (The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2023-26045?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls nodebb'. 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-vh2g-6c4x-5hmp",
  "modified" : "2023-07-25T13:54:13Z",
  "published" : "2023-07-25T13:54:13Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-26045" ],
  "summary" : "Path traversal and code execution via prototype vulnerability",
  "details" : "### Impact\nDue to the use of the [object destructuring assignment](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Operators/Destructuring_assignment) syntax in the user export code path, combined with a path traversal vulnerability, a specially crafted payload could invoke the user export logic to arbitrarily execute javascript files on the local disk.\n\n### Patches\nPatched in v2.8.7\n\n### Workarounds\nSite maintainers can cherry pick ec58700f6dff8e5b4af1544f6205ec362b593092 into their codebase to patch the exploit.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "nodebb"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.5.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.8.7"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/NodeBB/NodeBB/security/advisories/GHSA-vh2g-6c4x-5hmp"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-26045"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/NodeBB/NodeBB/commit/ec58700f6dff8e5b4af1544f6205ec362b593092"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/NodeBB/NodeBB"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20230831-0004"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-07-25T13:54:13Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-07-24T22:15:10Z"
  }
}