CVE-2018-16483: Express cart Authentication Bypass Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-wj36-v8j4-pc7c
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CVSS 8.8
CWE-290
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-16483 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.8) authentication bypass vulnerability (CWE-290: Authentication Bypass by Spoofing) affecting Express cart libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves authentication bypass by spoofing in express-cart. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.1.6.

CVE-2018-16483 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-16483
GHSA Identifier GHSA-wj36-v8j4-pc7c
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.8
CWE Classification CWE-290: Authentication Bypass by Spoofing
Affected Product Express cart
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.8

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2018-16483

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Express cart 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-cart fixed: 1.1.6 
npm install express-cart@1.1.6
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-cart

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2018-16483, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls express-cart

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Express cart in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.1.6), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls express-cart 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-290: Authentication Bypass by Spoofing, where this attack-focused weakness is caused by incorrectly implemented authentication schemes that are subject to spoofing attacks. In Express cart, 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

A deficiency in the access control in module express-cart <=1.1.5 allows unprivileged users to add new users to the application as administrators.

CVE-2018-16483 Affected Express cart Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.1.6
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
express-cart
npm/express-cart
npm
< 1.1.6
1.1.6

References

NVD — CVE-2018-16483 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-16483
hackerone.com/reports/343626 WEB
https://hackerone.com/reports/343626
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-wj36-v8j4-pc7c

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-16483?
CVE-2018-16483 is a security vulnerability in Express cart involving Authentication Bypass by Spoofing in express-cart under CWE-290: Authentication Bypass by Spoofing.
Which Express cart versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.1.6 across affected packages: express-cart.
What version fixes CVE-2018-16483?
Upgrading to 1.1.6 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is express-cart affected?
Yes, express-cart is affected in releases prior to 1.1.6. Upgrade your dependency to 1.1.6 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-16483?
CVE-2018-16483 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-16483?
CVE-2018-16483 is classified under CWE-290: Authentication Bypass by Spoofing (This attack-focused weakness is caused by incorrectly implemented authentication schemes that are subject to spoofing attacks.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2018-16483?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls express-cart'. 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-wj36-v8j4-pc7c",
  "modified" : "2022-09-14T22:42:42Z",
  "published" : "2019-02-07T18:16:03Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-16483" ],
  "summary" : "Authentication Bypass by Spoofing in express-cart",
  "details" : "A deficiency in the access control in module express-cart <=1.1.5 allows unprivileged users to add new users to the application as administrators.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "express-cart"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.1.6"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-16483"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://hackerone.com/reports/343626"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-wj36-v8j4-pc7c"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-290" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T22:00:40Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}