CVE-2019-10196: Http proxy agent Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-86wf-436m-h424
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-665
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2019-10196 is a MODERATE (CVSS 9.8) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-665: Improper Initialization) affecting Http proxy agent libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves resource exhaustion denial of service in http-proxy-agent. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.1.0.

CVE-2019-10196 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2019-10196
GHSA Identifier GHSA-86wf-436m-h424
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-665: Improper Initialization
Affected Product Http proxy agent
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:3.1/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-2019-10196

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Http 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.

http-proxy-agent fixed: 2.1.0 
npm install http-proxy-agent@2.1.0
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 http-proxy-agent

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2019-10196, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls http-proxy-agent

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Http proxy agent in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.1.0), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls http-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-665: Improper Initialization, where the product does not initialize or incorrectly initializes a resource, which might leave the resource in an unexpected state when it is accessed or used. In Http 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

A flaw was found in http-proxy-agent, prior to version 2.1.0. It was discovered http-proxy-agent passes an auth option to the Buffer constructor without proper sanitization. This could result in a Denial of Service through the usage of all available CPU resources and data exposure through an uninitialized memory leak in setups where an attacker could submit typed input to the auth parameter.

CVE-2019-10196 Affected Http proxy agent Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.1.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
http-proxy-agent
npm/http-proxy-agent
npm
< 2.1.0
2.1.0

References

NVD — CVE-2019-10196 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-10196
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/TooTallNate/node-http-proxy-agent/commit/b7b7cc793c3226aa83f820ce5c277e81862d32eb
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1567245
www.npmjs.com/advisories/607 WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/607

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2019-10196?
CVE-2019-10196 is a security vulnerability in Http proxy agent involving Resource Exhaustion Denial of Service in http-proxy-agent under CWE-665: Improper Initialization.
Which Http proxy agent versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.1.0 across affected packages: http-proxy-agent.
What version fixes CVE-2019-10196?
Upgrading to 2.1.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is http-proxy-agent affected?
Yes, http-proxy-agent is affected in releases prior to 2.1.0. Upgrade your dependency to 2.1.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2019-10196?
CVE-2019-10196 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2019-10196?
CVE-2019-10196 is classified under CWE-665: Improper Initialization (The product does not initialize or incorrectly initializes a resource, which might leave the resource in an unexpected state when it is accessed or used.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2019-10196?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls http-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-86wf-436m-h424",
  "modified" : "2021-03-31T21:09:25Z",
  "published" : "2022-01-06T20:30:13Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2019-10196" ],
  "summary" : "Resource Exhaustion Denial of Service in http-proxy-agent ",
  "details" : "A flaw was found in http-proxy-agent, prior to version 2.1.0. It was discovered http-proxy-agent passes an auth option to the Buffer constructor without proper sanitization. This could result in a Denial of Service through the usage of all available CPU resources and data exposure through an uninitialized memory leak in setups where an attacker could submit typed input to the auth parameter.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "http-proxy-agent"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.1.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-10196"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/TooTallNate/node-http-proxy-agent/commit/b7b7cc793c3226aa83f820ce5c277e81862d32eb"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1567245"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/607"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-665" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-03-22T22:28:09Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-03-19T20:15:00Z"
  }
}