CVE-2022-23539: Jsonwebtoken Jsonwebtoken Unrestricted Key Type Could Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-8cf7-32gw-wr33
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CVSS 8.1
CWE-327
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2022-23539 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.1) jsonwebtoken unrestricted key type could vulnerability (CWE-327: Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm) affecting Jsonwebtoken libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves jsonwebtoken unrestricted key type could lead to legacy keys usage. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 9.0.0.

CVE-2022-23539 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2022-23539
GHSA Identifier GHSA-8cf7-32gw-wr33
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.1
CWE Classification CWE-327: Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm
Affected Product Jsonwebtoken
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.1

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2022-23539

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

jsonwebtoken fixed: 9.0.0 
npm install jsonwebtoken@9.0.0
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 jsonwebtoken

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2022-23539, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls jsonwebtoken

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Jsonwebtoken in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 9.0.0), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls jsonwebtoken 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-327: Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm, where the product uses a broken or risky cryptographic algorithm or protocol. In Jsonwebtoken, 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

# Overview Versions `<=8.5.1` of `jsonwebtoken` library could be misconfigured so that legacy, insecure key types are used for signature verification. For example, DSA keys could be used with the RS256 algorithm. # Am I affected? You are affected if you are using an algorithm and a key type other than the combinations mentioned below | Key type | algorithm | |----------|------------------------------------------| | ec | ES256, ES384, ES512 | | rsa | RS256, RS384, RS512, PS256, PS384, PS512 | | rsa-pss | PS256, PS384, PS512 | And for Elliptic Curve algorithms: | `alg` | Curve | |-------|------------| | ES256 | prime256v1 | | ES384 | secp384r1 | | ES512 | secp521r1 | # How do I fix it? Update to version 9.0.0. This version validates for asymmetric key type and algorithm combinations. Please refer to the above mentioned algorithm / key type combinations for the valid secure configuration. After updating to version 9.0.0, If you still intend to continue with signing or verifying tokens using invalid key type/algorithm value combinations, you’ll need to set the `allowInvalidAsymmetricKeyTypes` option to `true` in the `sign()` and/or `verify()` functions. # Will the fix impact my users? There will be no impact, if you update to version 9.0.0 and you already use a valid secure combination of key type and algorithm. Otherwise, use the `allowInvalidAsymmetricKeyTypes` option to `true` in the `sign()` and `verify()` functions to continue usage of invalid key type/algorithm combination in 9.0.0 for legacy compatibility.

CVE-2022-23539 Affected Jsonwebtoken Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
9.0.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
jsonwebtoken
npm/jsonwebtoken
npm
< 9.0.0
9.0.0

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/auth0/node-jsonwebtoken/security/advisories/GHSA-8cf7-32gw-wr33
NVD — CVE-2022-23539 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-23539
Jsonwebtoken Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/auth0/node-jsonwebtoken
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/auth0/node-jsonwebtoken/commit/e1fa9dcc12054a8681db4e6373da1b30cf7016e3
Jsonwebtoken Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20240621-0007

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-23539?
CVE-2022-23539 is a security vulnerability in Jsonwebtoken involving jsonwebtoken unrestricted key type could lead to legacy keys usage under CWE-327: Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm.
Which Jsonwebtoken versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 9.0.0 across affected packages: jsonwebtoken.
What version fixes CVE-2022-23539?
Upgrading to 9.0.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is jsonwebtoken affected?
Yes, jsonwebtoken is affected in releases prior to 9.0.0. Upgrade your dependency to 9.0.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2022-23539?
CVE-2022-23539 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2022-23539?
CVE-2022-23539 is classified under CWE-327: Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm (The product uses a broken or risky cryptographic algorithm or protocol.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2022-23539?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls jsonwebtoken'. 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-8cf7-32gw-wr33",
  "modified" : "2024-06-24T21:23:38Z",
  "published" : "2022-12-22T03:32:22Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2022-23539" ],
  "summary" : "jsonwebtoken unrestricted key type could lead to legacy keys usage ",
  "details" : "# Overview\n\nVersions `<=8.5.1` of `jsonwebtoken` library could be misconfigured so that legacy, insecure key types are used for signature verification. For example, DSA keys could be used with the RS256 algorithm. \n\n# Am I affected?\n\nYou are affected if you are using an algorithm and a key type other than the combinations mentioned below\n\n| Key type |  algorithm                                    |\n|----------|------------------------------------------|\n| ec           | ES256, ES384, ES512                      |\n| rsa          | RS256, RS384, RS512, PS256, PS384, PS512 |\n| rsa-pss  | PS256, PS384, PS512                      |\n\nAnd for Elliptic Curve algorithms:\n\n| `alg` | Curve      |\n|-------|------------|\n| ES256 | prime256v1 |\n| ES384 | secp384r1  |\n| ES512 | secp521r1  |\n\n# How do I fix it?\n\nUpdate to version 9.0.0. This version validates for asymmetric key type and algorithm combinations. Please refer to the above mentioned algorithm / key type combinations for the valid secure configuration. After updating to version 9.0.0, If you still intend to continue with signing or verifying tokens using invalid key type/algorithm value combinations, you’ll need to set the `allowInvalidAsymmetricKeyTypes` option to `true` in the `sign()` and/or `verify()` functions.\n\n# Will the fix impact my users?\n\nThere will be no impact, if you update to version 9.0.0 and you already use a valid secure combination of key type and algorithm. Otherwise,  use the  `allowInvalidAsymmetricKeyTypes` option  to `true` in the `sign()` and `verify()` functions to continue usage of invalid key type/algorithm combination in 9.0.0 for legacy compatibility. \n\n",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "jsonwebtoken"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "9.0.0"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 8.5.1"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/auth0/node-jsonwebtoken/security/advisories/GHSA-8cf7-32gw-wr33"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-23539"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/auth0/node-jsonwebtoken/commit/e1fa9dcc12054a8681db4e6373da1b30cf7016e3"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/auth0/node-jsonwebtoken"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20240621-0007"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-327" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-12-22T03:32:22Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-12-23T00:15:00Z"
  }
}