CVE-2018-3739: Https proxy agent Denial of Service Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-8g7p-74h8-hg48
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CVSS 9.1
CWE-125 CWE-400
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-3739 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.1) denial of service vulnerability (CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read) affecting Https proxy agent libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves denial of service in https-proxy-agent. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.2.0.

CVE-2018-3739 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-3739
GHSA Identifier GHSA-8g7p-74h8-hg48
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.1
CWE Classification CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read
Affected Product Https proxy agent
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.1

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:N/S:U/C:H/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 High (C:H)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2018-3739

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

https-proxy-agent fixed: 2.2.0 
npm install https-proxy-agent@2.2.0
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 https-proxy-agent

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2018-3739, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls https-proxy-agent

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Https proxy agent in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.2.0), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls https-proxy-agent 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-125: Out-of-bounds Read, where the product reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer. In Https proxy agent, 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

Versions of `https-proxy-agent` before 2.2.0 are vulnerable to denial of service. This is due to unsanitized options (proxy.auth) being passed to `Buffer()`. ## Recommendation Update to version 2.2.0 or later.

CVE-2018-3739 Affected Https proxy agent Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.2.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
https-proxy-agent
npm/https-proxy-agent
npm
< 2.2.0
2.2.0

References

NVD — CVE-2018-3739 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-3736
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/TooTallNate/node-https-proxy-agent/commit/1c24219df87524e6ed973127e81f30801d658f07
hackerone.com/reports/319532 WEB
https://hackerone.com/reports/319532
Https proxy agent Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/TooTallNate/node-https-proxy-agent
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-8g7p-74h8-hg48
www.npmjs.com/advisories/593 WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/593

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-3739?
CVE-2018-3739 is a security vulnerability in Https proxy agent involving Denial of Service in https-proxy-agent under CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read.
Which Https proxy agent versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.2.0 across affected packages: https-proxy-agent.
What version fixes CVE-2018-3739?
Upgrading to 2.2.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is https-proxy-agent affected?
Yes, https-proxy-agent is affected in releases prior to 2.2.0. Upgrade your dependency to 2.2.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-3739?
CVE-2018-3739 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.1 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-3739?
CVE-2018-3739 is classified under CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read (The product reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2018-3739?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls https-proxy-agent'. 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-8g7p-74h8-hg48",
  "modified" : "2021-09-07T19:45:18Z",
  "published" : "2018-07-27T17:04:52Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-3739" ],
  "summary" : "Denial of Service in https-proxy-agent",
  "details" : "Versions of `https-proxy-agent` before 2.2.0 are vulnerable to denial of service. This is due to unsanitized options (proxy.auth) being passed to `Buffer()`.\n\n\n## Recommendation\n\nUpdate to version 2.2.0 or later.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "https-proxy-agent"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.2.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-3736"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/TooTallNate/node-https-proxy-agent/commit/1c24219df87524e6ed973127e81f30801d658f07"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://hackerone.com/reports/319532"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/TooTallNate/node-https-proxy-agent"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-8g7p-74h8-hg48"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/593"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-125", "CWE-400" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:25:32Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}