CVE-2018-6835: Ep etherpad lite Etherpad Lite Access Restriction Bypass Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-mvmv-rq2j-97p2
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-20
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-6835 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) etherpad lite access restriction bypass vulnerability (CWE-20: Improper Input Validation) affecting Ep etherpad lite libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves etherpad lite access restriction bypass. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.6.3.

CVE-2018-6835 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-6835
GHSA Identifier GHSA-mvmv-rq2j-97p2
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-20: Improper Input Validation
Affected Product Ep etherpad lite
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

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:H/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 High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2018-6835

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

ep_etherpad-lite fixed: 1.6.3 
npm install ep_etherpad-lite@1.6.3
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 ep_etherpad-lite

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2018-6835, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls ep_etherpad-lite

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Ep etherpad lite in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.6.3), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls ep_etherpad-lite 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-20: Improper Input Validation, where the product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly. In Ep etherpad lite, 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

`node/hooks/express/apicalls.js` in Etherpad Lite before v1.6.3 mishandles JSONP, which allows remote attackers to bypass intended access restrictions.

CVE-2018-6835 Affected Ep etherpad lite Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.6.3
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
ep_etherpad-lite
npm/ep_etherpad-lite
npm
< 1.6.3
1.6.3

References

NVD — CVE-2018-6835 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-6835
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ether/etherpad-lite/commit/626e58cc5af1db3691b41fca7b06c28ea43141b1
Ep etherpad lite Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ether/etherpad-lite
Ep etherpad lite Release RELEASE
https://github.com/ether/etherpad-lite/releases/tag/1.6.3

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-6835?
CVE-2018-6835 is a security vulnerability in Ep etherpad lite involving Etherpad Lite Access Restriction Bypass under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation.
Which Ep etherpad lite versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.6.3 across affected packages: ep_etherpad-lite.
What version fixes CVE-2018-6835?
Upgrading to 1.6.3 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is ep_etherpad-lite affected?
Yes, ep_etherpad-lite is affected in releases prior to 1.6.3. Upgrade your dependency to 1.6.3 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-6835?
CVE-2018-6835 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-6835?
CVE-2018-6835 is classified under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation (The product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2018-6835?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls ep_etherpad-lite'. 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-mvmv-rq2j-97p2",
  "modified" : "2023-10-06T15:19:35Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-13T01:53:11Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-6835" ],
  "summary" : "Etherpad Lite Access Restriction Bypass",
  "details" : "`node/hooks/express/apicalls.js` in Etherpad Lite before v1.6.3 mishandles JSONP, which allows remote attackers to bypass intended access restrictions.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "ep_etherpad-lite"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.6.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-6835"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ether/etherpad-lite/commit/626e58cc5af1db3691b41fca7b06c28ea43141b1"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ether/etherpad-lite"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ether/etherpad-lite/releases/tag/1.6.3"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-20" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-07-24T19:54:58Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2018-02-08T07:29:00Z"
  }
}