CVE-2022-23507: Tendermint light client js Tendermint Light Client Verification Not Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-xqqc-c5gw-c5r5
CVSS 5.4
CWE-347
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2022-23507 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.4) tendermint light client verification not vulnerability (CWE-347: Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature) affecting Tendermint light client js libraries in the crates.io ecosystem. The issue involves tendermint light client verification not taking into account chain id. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.28.0.

CVE-2022-23507 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2022-23507
GHSA Identifier GHSA-xqqc-c5gw-c5r5
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.4
CWE Classification CWE-347: Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature
Affected Product Tendermint light client js
Package Ecosystem crates.io
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.4

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N).

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

How to Fix CVE-2022-23507

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

tendermint-light-client-js fixed: 0.28.0
Upgrade tendermint-light-client-js to 0.28.0
tendermint-light-client-verifier fixed: 0.28.0
Upgrade tendermint-light-client-verifier to 0.28.0
tendermint-light-client fixed: 0.28.0
Upgrade tendermint-light-client to 0.28.0
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:

inspect dependencies for tendermint-light-client-js

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2022-23507, inspect your project dependencies for Tendermint light client js:

inspect dependencies for tendermint-light-client-js

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Tendermint light client js in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.28.0), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-347: Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature, where the product does not verify, or incorrectly verifies, the cryptographic signature for data. In Tendermint light client js, 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

### Impact Anyone using the `tendermint-light-client` and related packages to perform light client verification (e.g. IBC-rs, Hermes). At present, the light client does not check that the chain IDs of the trusted and untrusted headers match, resulting in a possible attack vector where someone who finds a header from an untrusted chain that satisfies all other verification conditions (e.g. enough overlapping validator signatures) could fool a light client. The attack vector is currently theoretical, and no proof-of-concept exists yet to exploit it on live networks. ### Patches Users of the light client-related crates can currently upgrade to `v0.28.0`. ### Workarounds None ### References - [Light Client specification](https://github.com/tendermint/tendermint/tree/main/spec/light-client)

CVE-2022-23507 Affected Tendermint light client js Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.28.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
tendermint-light-client-js
crates.io
< 0.28.0
0.28.0
tendermint-light-client-verifier
crates.io
< 0.28.0
0.28.0
tendermint-light-client
crates.io
< 0.28.0
0.28.0

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-23507?
CVE-2022-23507 is a security vulnerability in Tendermint light client js involving Tendermint light client verification not taking into account chain ID under CWE-347: Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature.
Which Tendermint light client js versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.28.0 across affected packages: tendermint-light-client-js, tendermint-light-client-verifier, tendermint-light-client.
What version fixes CVE-2022-23507?
Upgrading to 0.28.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is tendermint-light-client-js affected?
Yes, tendermint-light-client-js is affected in releases prior to 0.28.0. Upgrade your dependency to 0.28.0 or later.
Is tendermint-light-client-verifier affected?
Yes, tendermint-light-client-verifier is affected in releases prior to 0.28.0. Upgrade your dependency to 0.28.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2022-23507?
CVE-2022-23507 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.4 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2022-23507?
CVE-2022-23507 is classified under CWE-347: Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature (The product does not verify, or incorrectly verifies, the cryptographic signature for data.).
How can I check crates.io dependencies for CVE-2022-23507?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for tendermint-light-client-js'. 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
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-xqqc-c5gw-c5r5",
  "modified" : "2022-12-14T21:35:24Z",
  "published" : "2022-12-14T21:35:24Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2022-23507" ],
  "summary" : "Tendermint light client verification not taking into account chain ID",
  "details" : "### Impact\n\nAnyone using the `tendermint-light-client` and related packages to perform light client verification (e.g. IBC-rs, Hermes).\n\nAt present, the light client does not check that the chain IDs of the trusted and untrusted headers match, resulting in a possible attack vector where someone who finds a header from an untrusted chain that satisfies all other verification conditions (e.g. enough overlapping validator signatures) could fool a light client.\n\nThe attack vector is currently theoretical, and no proof-of-concept exists yet to exploit it on live networks.\n\n### Patches\n\nUsers of the light client-related crates can currently upgrade to `v0.28.0`.\n\n### Workarounds\n\nNone\n\n### References\n\n- [Light Client specification](https://github.com/tendermint/tendermint/tree/main/spec/light-client)",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "crates.io",
      "name" : "tendermint-light-client-verifier"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.28.0"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 0.27.0"
    }
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "crates.io",
      "name" : "tendermint-light-client"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.28.0"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 0.27.0"
    }
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "crates.io",
      "name" : "tendermint-light-client-js"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.28.0"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 0.27.0"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/informalsystems/tendermint-rs/security/advisories/GHSA-xqqc-c5gw-c5r5"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-23507"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/informalsystems/tendermint-rs/commit/5c32f31b97ac3172775699fe0d4ba6003ca4fb18"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/informalsystems/tendermint-rs"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-347" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-12-14T21:35:24Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-12-15T19:15:00Z"
  }
}