CVE-2020-8215: Canvas Buffer Overflow Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-73rg-x683-m3qw
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CVSS 8.8
CWE-120
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-8215 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.8) buffer overflow vulnerability (CWE-120: Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input ('Classic Buffer Overflow')) affecting Canvas libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves buffer overflow in canvas. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.6.11.

CVE-2020-8215 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-8215
GHSA Identifier GHSA-73rg-x683-m3qw
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.8
CWE Classification CWE-120: Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input ('Classic Buffer Overflow')
Affected Product Canvas
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.8

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:R/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 Required (UI:R)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2020-8215

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

canvas fixed: 1.6.11 
npm install canvas@1.6.11
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 canvas

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2020-8215, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls canvas

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Canvas in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.6.11), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls canvas 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-120: Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input ('Classic Buffer Overflow'), where the product copies an input buffer to an output buffer without verifying that the size of the input buffer is less than the size of the output buffer. In Canvas, 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 buffer overflow is present in canvas versions before 1.6.11, which could lead to a Denial of Service or execution of arbitrary code when it processes a user-provided image.

CVE-2020-8215 Affected Canvas Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.6.11
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
canvas
npm/canvas
npm
< 1.6.11
1.6.11

References

NVD — CVE-2020-8215 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-8215
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/Automattic/node-canvas/commit/c3e4ccb1c404da01e83fe5eb3626bf55f7f55957
hackerone.com/reports/315037 WEB
https://hackerone.com/reports/315037
www.npmjs.com/package/canvas WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/package/canvas

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-8215?
CVE-2020-8215 is a security vulnerability in Canvas involving Buffer overflow in canvas under CWE-120: Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input ('Classic Buffer Overflow').
Which Canvas versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.6.11 across affected packages: canvas.
What version fixes CVE-2020-8215?
Upgrading to 1.6.11 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is canvas affected?
Yes, canvas is affected in releases prior to 1.6.11. Upgrade your dependency to 1.6.11 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-8215?
CVE-2020-8215 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-8215?
CVE-2020-8215 is classified under CWE-120: Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input ('Classic Buffer Overflow') (The product copies an input buffer to an output buffer without verifying that the size of the input buffer is less than the size of the output buffer.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2020-8215?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls canvas'. 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-73rg-x683-m3qw",
  "modified" : "2021-05-06T23:33:05Z",
  "published" : "2021-05-07T16:05:16Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-8215" ],
  "summary" : "Buffer overflow  in canvas",
  "details" : "A buffer overflow is present in canvas versions before 1.6.11, which could lead to a Denial of Service or execution of arbitrary code when it processes a user-provided image.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "canvas"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.6.11"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-8215"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/Automattic/node-canvas/commit/c3e4ccb1c404da01e83fe5eb3626bf55f7f55957"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://hackerone.com/reports/315037"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/package/canvas"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-120" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-05-06T23:33:05Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-07-20T15:15:00Z"
  }
}