CVE-2021-23354: Printf Denial of Service Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-xfhp-gmh8-r8v2
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-400
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-23354 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) denial of service vulnerability (CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) affecting Printf libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves printf vulnerable to regular expression denial of service (redos). Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.6.1.

CVE-2021-23354 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-23354
GHSA Identifier GHSA-xfhp-gmh8-r8v2
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
Affected Product Printf
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

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:H).

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 High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2021-23354

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

printf fixed: 0.6.1 
npm install printf@0.6.1
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 printf

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2021-23354, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls printf

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Printf in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.6.1), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls printf 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 Printf, 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

The package printf before 0.6.1 are vulnerable to Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) via the regex string ```regex /\%(?:\(([\w_.]+)\)|([1-9]\d*)\$)?([0 +\-\]*)(\*|\d+)?(\.)?(\*|\d+)?[hlL]?([\%bscdeEfFgGioOuxX])/g ``` in `lib/printf.js`. The vulnerable regular expression has cubic worst-case time complexity.

CVE-2021-23354 Affected Printf Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.6.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
printf
npm/printf
npm
< 0.6.1
0.6.1

References

NVD — CVE-2021-23354 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-23354
Printf Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/adaltas/node-printf/issues/31
Printf Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/adaltas/node-printf/pull/32
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/adaltas/node-printf/commit/a8502e7c9b0b22555696a2d8ef67722086413a68
snyk.io/vuln/snyk-js-printf... WEB
https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-PRINTF-1072096

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-23354?
CVE-2021-23354 is a security vulnerability in Printf involving printf vulnerable to Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption.
Which Printf versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.6.1 across affected packages: printf.
What version fixes CVE-2021-23354?
Upgrading to 0.6.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is printf affected?
Yes, printf is affected in releases prior to 0.6.1. Upgrade your dependency to 0.6.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-23354?
CVE-2021-23354 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-23354?
CVE-2021-23354 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-2021-23354?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls printf'. 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-xfhp-gmh8-r8v2",
  "modified" : "2023-09-08T20:24:11Z",
  "published" : "2021-03-19T21:22:10Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-23354" ],
  "summary" : "printf vulnerable to Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS)",
  "details" : "The package printf before 0.6.1 are vulnerable to Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) via the regex string \n```regex\n/\\%(?:\\(([\\w_.]+)\\)|([1-9]\\d*)\\$)?([0 +\\-\\]*)(\\*|\\d+)?(\\.)?(\\*|\\d+)?[hlL]?([\\%bscdeEfFgGioOuxX])/g\n```\n in `lib/printf.js`. The vulnerable regular expression has cubic worst-case time complexity.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "printf"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.6.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-23354"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/adaltas/node-printf/issues/31"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/adaltas/node-printf/pull/32"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/adaltas/node-printf/commit/a8502e7c9b0b22555696a2d8ef67722086413a68"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-PRINTF-1072096"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-400" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-03-15T18:59:14Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-03-12T15:15:00Z"
  }
}