CVE-2021-31597: Xmlhttprequest ssl Improper Certificate Validation Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-72mh-269x-7mh5
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CVSS 9.4
CWE-295
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-31597 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.4) improper certificate validation vulnerability (CWE-295: Improper Certificate Validation) affecting Xmlhttprequest ssl libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves improper certificate validation in xmlhttprequest-ssl. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.6.1.

CVE-2021-31597 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-31597
GHSA Identifier GHSA-72mh-269x-7mh5
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.4
CWE Classification CWE-295: Improper Certificate Validation
Affected Product Xmlhttprequest ssl
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.4

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:L).

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 Low (A:L)

How to Fix CVE-2021-31597

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

xmlhttprequest-ssl fixed: 1.6.1 
npm install xmlhttprequest-ssl@1.6.1
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 xmlhttprequest-ssl

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2021-31597, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls xmlhttprequest-ssl

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Xmlhttprequest ssl in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.6.1), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls xmlhttprequest-ssl 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-295: Improper Certificate Validation, where the product does not validate, or incorrectly validates, a certificate. In Xmlhttprequest ssl, 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

The xmlhttprequest-ssl package before 1.6.1 for Node.js disables SSL certificate validation by default, because rejectUnauthorized (when the property exists but is undefined) is considered to be false within the https.request function of Node.js. In other words, no certificate is ever rejected.

CVE-2021-31597 Affected Xmlhttprequest ssl Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.6.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
xmlhttprequest-ssl
npm/xmlhttprequest-ssl
npm
< 1.6.1
1.6.1

References

NVD — CVE-2021-31597 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-31597
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/mjwwit/node-XMLHttpRequest/commit/bf53329b61ca6afc5d28f6b8d2dc2e3ca740a9b2
Xmlhttprequest ssl Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/mjwwit/node-XMLHttpRequest/compare/v1.6.0...1.6.1
people.kingsds.network/wesgarland/xmlhttpr... WEB
https://people.kingsds.network/wesgarland/xmlhttprequest-ssl-vuln.txt
Xmlhttprequest ssl Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210618-0004

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-31597?
CVE-2021-31597 is a security vulnerability in Xmlhttprequest ssl involving Improper Certificate Validation in xmlhttprequest-ssl under CWE-295: Improper Certificate Validation.
Which Xmlhttprequest ssl versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.6.1 across affected packages: xmlhttprequest-ssl.
What version fixes CVE-2021-31597?
Upgrading to 1.6.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is xmlhttprequest-ssl affected?
Yes, xmlhttprequest-ssl is affected in releases prior to 1.6.1. Upgrade your dependency to 1.6.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-31597?
CVE-2021-31597 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.4 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-31597?
CVE-2021-31597 is classified under CWE-295: Improper Certificate Validation (The product does not validate, or incorrectly validates, a certificate.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2021-31597?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls xmlhttprequest-ssl'. 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-72mh-269x-7mh5",
  "modified" : "2021-05-20T21:59:29Z",
  "published" : "2021-05-24T19:52:55Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-31597" ],
  "summary" : "Improper Certificate Validation in xmlhttprequest-ssl",
  "details" : "The xmlhttprequest-ssl package before 1.6.1 for Node.js disables SSL certificate validation by default, because rejectUnauthorized (when the property exists but is undefined) is considered to be false within the https.request function of Node.js. In other words, no certificate is ever rejected.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "xmlhttprequest-ssl"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.6.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-31597"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mjwwit/node-XMLHttpRequest/commit/bf53329b61ca6afc5d28f6b8d2dc2e3ca740a9b2"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mjwwit/node-XMLHttpRequest/compare/v1.6.0...1.6.1"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://people.kingsds.network/wesgarland/xmlhttprequest-ssl-vuln.txt"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210618-0004"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-295" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-05-20T21:59:29Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-04-23T00:15:00Z"
  }
}