CVE-2021-23797: Http server node Path Traversal Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-hj3m-v758-jwx5
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-23797 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Http server node libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves path traversal in http-server-node. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2021-23797 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-23797
GHSA Identifier GHSA-hj3m-v758-jwx5
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 Http server node
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:3.1/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-2021-23797

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Http server node 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-server-node fixed: Latest secure release 
npm install http-server-node@Latest secure release
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-server-node

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2021-23797, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls http-server-node

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

Note: The npm ls http-server-node 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 Http server node, 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

All versions of package http-server-node are vulnerable to Directory Traversal via use of `--path-as-is`.

CVE-2021-23797 Affected Http server node Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
http-server-node
npm/http-server-node
npm
≤ 1.0.2

References

NVD — CVE-2021-23797 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-23797
Http server node Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/yan-loong/http-server
snyk.io/vuln/snyk-js-httpse... WEB
https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-HTTPSERVERNODE-1727656

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-23797?
CVE-2021-23797 is a security vulnerability in Http server node involving Path Traversal in http-server-node under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Http server node versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: http-server-node.
What version fixes CVE-2021-23797?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is http-server-node affected?
Yes, http-server-node is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-23797?
CVE-2021-23797 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-23797?
CVE-2021-23797 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-2021-23797?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls http-server-node'. 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-hj3m-v758-jwx5",
  "modified" : "2023-09-11T22:36:13Z",
  "published" : "2022-01-05T15:02:43Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-23797" ],
  "summary" : "Path Traversal in http-server-node",
  "details" : "All versions of package http-server-node are vulnerable to Directory Traversal via use of `--path-as-is`.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "http-server-node"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "1.0.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-23797"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/yan-loong/http-server"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-HTTPSERVERNODE-1727656"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-01-04T18:43:28Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-12-17T20:15:00Z"
  }
}