CVE-2019-13970: Antsword Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-hq75-ggc3-8h3q
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CVSS 6.1
CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2019-13970 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.1) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')) affecting Antsword libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves antsword rce and xss via code injection. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.1.0.

CVE-2019-13970 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2019-13970
GHSA Identifier GHSA-hq75-ggc3-8h3q
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.1
CWE Classification CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Affected Product Antsword
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.1

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:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N).

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

How to Fix CVE-2019-13970

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

antsword fixed: 2.1.0 
npm install antsword@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 antsword

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2019-13970, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls antsword

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Antsword 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 antsword 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-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting'), where the product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users. In Antsword, 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

In antSword before 2.1.0, self-XSS in the database configuration leads to code execution via `modules/database/asp/index.js`, `modules/database/custom/index.js`, `modules/database/index.js`, or `modules/database/php/index.js`.

CVE-2019-13970 Affected Antsword Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.1.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
antsword
npm/antsword
npm
< 2.1.0
2.1.0

References

NVD — CVE-2019-13970 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-13970
Antsword Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/AntSwordProject/antSword/issues/151
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/AntSwordProject/antSword/commit/4b932e81447b4b0475f4fce45525547395c249d3
Antsword Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/AntSwordProject/antSword
Antsword Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/AntSwordProject/antSword/compare/ed01dea...834063a

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2019-13970?
CVE-2019-13970 is a security vulnerability in Antsword involving AntSword RCE and XSS via code injection under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting').
Which Antsword versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.1.0 across affected packages: antsword.
What version fixes CVE-2019-13970?
Upgrading to 2.1.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is antsword affected?
Yes, antsword 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-2019-13970?
CVE-2019-13970 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.1 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2019-13970?
CVE-2019-13970 is classified under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') (The product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2019-13970?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls antsword'. 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-hq75-ggc3-8h3q",
  "modified" : "2023-08-25T21:44:42Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T16:50:44Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2019-13970" ],
  "summary" : "AntSword RCE and XSS via code injection",
  "details" : "In antSword before 2.1.0, self-XSS in the database configuration leads to code execution via `modules/database/asp/index.js`, `modules/database/custom/index.js`, `modules/database/index.js`, or `modules/database/php/index.js`.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "antsword"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.1.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-13970"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/AntSwordProject/antSword/issues/151"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/AntSwordProject/antSword/commit/4b932e81447b4b0475f4fce45525547395c249d3"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/AntSwordProject/antSword"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/AntSwordProject/antSword/compare/ed01dea...834063a"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-07-14T21:14:59Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2019-07-19T06:15:00Z"
  }
}