CVE-2014-6393: Express No Charset Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-gpvr-g6gh-9mc2
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CVSS 6.1
CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2014-6393 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.1) no charset vulnerability (CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')) affecting Express libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves no charset in content-type header in express. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.11.0, 4.5.0.

CVE-2014-6393 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2014-6393
GHSA Identifier GHSA-gpvr-g6gh-9mc2
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.1
CWE Classification CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Affected Product Express
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.1

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2014-6393

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Express 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 fixed: 3.11.0 
npm install express@3.11.0
express fixed: 4.5.0 
npm install express@4.5.0
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

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2014-6393, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls express

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Express in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.11.0), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls express 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-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting'), where the product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users. In Express, 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

Vulnerable versions of express do not specify a charset field in the content-type header while displaying 400 level response messages. The lack of enforcing user's browser to set correct charset, could be leveraged by an attacker to perform a cross-site scripting attack, using non-standard encodings, like UTF-7. ## Recommendation For express 3.x, update express to version 3.11 or later. For express 4.x, update express to version 4.5 or later.

CVE-2014-6393 Affected Express Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.11.04.5.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
express
npm/express
npm
< 3.11.0
3.11.0
express
npm/express
npm
≥ 4.0.0
< 4.5.0
4.5.0

References

NVD — CVE-2014-6393 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2014-6393
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1203190
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-gpvr-g6gh-9mc2
www.npmjs.com/advisories/8 WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/8

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2014-6393?
CVE-2014-6393 is a security vulnerability in Express involving No Charset in Content-Type Header in express under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting').
Which Express versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.11.0, 4.5.0 across affected packages: express.
What version fixes CVE-2014-6393?
Upgrading to 3.11.0, 4.5.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is express affected?
Yes, express is affected in releases prior to 3.11.0, 4.5.0. Upgrade your dependency to 3.11.0, 4.5.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2014-6393?
CVE-2014-6393 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.1 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2014-6393?
CVE-2014-6393 is classified under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') (The product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2014-6393?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls express'. 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-gpvr-g6gh-9mc2",
  "modified" : "2021-08-02T22:35:12Z",
  "published" : "2018-10-23T17:22:54Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2014-6393" ],
  "summary" : "No Charset in Content-Type Header in express",
  "details" : "Vulnerable versions of express do not specify a charset field in the content-type header while displaying 400 level response messages. The lack of enforcing user's browser to set correct charset, could be leveraged by an attacker to perform a cross-site scripting attack, using non-standard encodings, like UTF-7.\n\n\n## Recommendation\n\nFor express 3.x, update express to version 3.11 or later.\nFor express 4.x, update express to version 4.5 or later. ",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "express"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.11.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "express"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.5.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2014-6393"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1203190"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-gpvr-g6gh-9mc2"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/8"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:37:54Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2017-08-09T18:29:00Z"
  }
}