CVE-2019-5417: Serve Path Traversal Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-xg75-3277-gvvj
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2019-5417 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Serve libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves directory traversal in serve. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 7.1.3.

CVE-2019-5417 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2019-5417
GHSA Identifier GHSA-xg75-3277-gvvj
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Affected Product Serve
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

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:N).

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 None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2019-5417

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

serve fixed: 7.1.3 
npm install serve@7.1.3
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 serve

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2019-5417, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls serve

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Serve in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 7.1.3), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls serve 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-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal'), where the product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory. In Serve, 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 `serve` before 7.1.3 are vulnerable to Directory Traversal. File paths are not sanitized leading to unauthorized access of system files. ## Recommendation Upgrade to version 7.1.3 or later

CVE-2019-5417 Affected Serve Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
7.1.3
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
serve
npm/serve
npm
< 7.1.3
7.1.3

References

NVD — CVE-2019-5417 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-5417
hackerone.com/reports/358645 WEB
https://hackerone.com/reports/358645
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-xg75-3277-gvvj
www.npmjs.com/advisories/795 WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/795

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2019-5417?
CVE-2019-5417 is a security vulnerability in Serve involving Directory Traversal in serve under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Serve versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 7.1.3 across affected packages: serve.
What version fixes CVE-2019-5417?
Upgrading to 7.1.3 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is serve affected?
Yes, serve is affected in releases prior to 7.1.3. Upgrade your dependency to 7.1.3 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2019-5417?
CVE-2019-5417 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2019-5417?
CVE-2019-5417 is classified under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') (The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2019-5417?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls serve'. 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-xg75-3277-gvvj",
  "modified" : "2021-09-21T22:30:46Z",
  "published" : "2019-03-25T18:04:01Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2019-5417" ],
  "summary" : "Directory Traversal in serve",
  "details" : "Versions of `serve` before 7.1.3 are vulnerable to Directory Traversal. File paths are not sanitized leading to unauthorized access of system files.\n\n\n## Recommendation\n\nUpgrade to version 7.1.3 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:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "serve"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "7.1.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-5417"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://hackerone.com/reports/358645"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-xg75-3277-gvvj"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/795"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T22:03:13Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}