CVE-2016-1000238: Node krb5 Spoofing Attack Due To Unvalidated Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-4v9q-hm2p-68c4
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Advisory Summary

CVE-2016-1000238 is a MODERATE spoofing attack due to unvalidated vulnerability (General Security Weakness) affecting Node krb5 libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves spoofing attack due to unvalidated kdc in node-krb5. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2016-1000238 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2016-1000238
GHSA Identifier GHSA-4v9q-hm2p-68c4
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification General Security Weakness
Affected Product Node krb5
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2016-1000238

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Node krb5 dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

node-krb5 fixed: Latest secure release 
npm install node-krb5@Latest secure release
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 node-krb5

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2016-1000238, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls node-krb5

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Node krb5 in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls node-krb5 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 General Security Weakness. In Node krb5, 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

Affected versions of `node-krb5` do not validate the KDC prior to authenticating, which might allow an attacker with network access and enough time to spoof the KDC and impersonate a valid user without knowing their credentials. ## Recommendation It appears that this will remain unfixed indefinitely, as the Github issue for this vulnerability has been open since 2015, with no work on it since then. At this time, the best available mitigation is to use an alternative module that is actively maintained and provides similar functionality. There are [multiple modules fitting this criteria available on npm.](https://www.npmjs.com/search?q=kerberos).

CVE-2016-1000238 Affected Node krb5 Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
node-krb5
npm/node-krb5
npm
≥ 0.0.0

References

NVD — CVE-2016-1000238 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-1000238
Node krb5 Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/qesuto/node-krb5/issues/13
Node krb5 Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/qesuto/node-krb5
www.npmjs.com/advisories/136 WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/136
archive.hack.lu/2010/bouillon-steal... WEB
http://archive.hack.lu/2010/Bouillon-Stealing-credentials-for-impersonation.pdf

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2016-1000238?
CVE-2016-1000238 is a security vulnerability in Node krb5 involving Spoofing attack due to unvalidated KDC in node-krb5 under General Security Weakness.
Which Node krb5 versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: node-krb5.
What version fixes CVE-2016-1000238?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is node-krb5 affected?
Yes, node-krb5 is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2016-1000238?
CVE-2016-1000238 is classified under General Security Weakness.
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2016-1000238?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls node-krb5'. 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-4v9q-hm2p-68c4",
  "modified" : "2021-09-23T21:35:22Z",
  "published" : "2020-09-01T15:57:01Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2016-1000238" ],
  "summary" : "Spoofing attack due to unvalidated KDC in node-krb5",
  "details" : "Affected versions of `node-krb5` do not validate the KDC prior to authenticating, which might allow an attacker with network access and enough time to spoof the KDC and impersonate a valid user without knowing their credentials.\n\n\n## Recommendation\n\nIt appears that this will remain unfixed indefinitely, as the Github issue for this vulnerability has been open since 2015, with no work on it since then.\n\nAt this time, the best available mitigation is to use an alternative module that is actively maintained and provides similar functionality. There are [multiple modules fitting this criteria available on npm.](https://www.npmjs.com/search?q=kerberos).",
  "severity" : [ ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "node-krb5"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0.0.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-1000238"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/qesuto/node-krb5/issues/13"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/qesuto/node-krb5"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/136"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://archive.hack.lu/2010/Bouillon-Stealing-credentials-for-impersonation.pdf"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-08-31T18:12:06Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}