Vulnerabilities in pkg:npm/engine.io-client

PACKAGE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-4r4m-hjwj-43p8
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Advisory Summary

CVE-2016-10536 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.9) insecure defaults allow mitm over vulnerability (CWE-300: Channel Accessible by Non-Endpoint) affecting Engine.io client libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves insecure defaults allow mitm over tls in engine.io-client. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.6.9.

1 Known Advisory Record(s)
Package Vulnerability Intelligence

pkg:npm/engine.io-client

1 Known Advisory Record(s)

Vulnerability advisories affecting package pkg:npm/engine.io-client. Select an advisory below to view technical details or fixes.

Advisory ID CVE / NVD Severity Summary
GHSA-4r4m-hjwj-43p8 CVE-2016-10536 MODERATE Insecure Defaults Allow MITM Over TLS in engine.io-client

CVE-2016-10536 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2016-10536
GHSA Identifier GHSA-4r4m-hjwj-43p8
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.9
CWE Classification CWE-300: Channel Accessible by Non-Endpoint
Affected Product Engine.io client
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.9

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
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-2016-10536

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

engine.io-client fixed: 1.6.9 
npm install engine.io-client@1.6.9
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 engine.io-client

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2016-10536, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls engine.io-client

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Engine.io client in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.6.9), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls engine.io-client 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-300: Channel Accessible by Non-Endpoint, where the product does not adequately verify the identity of actors at both ends of a communication channel, or does not adequately ensure the integrity of the channel, in a way that allows the channel to be accessed or influenced by an actor that is not an endpoint. In Engine.io client, 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

Affected versions of `engine.io-client` do not verify certificates by default, and as such may be vulnerable to Man-in-the-Middle attacks. The vulnerability is related to the way that node.js handles the `rejectUnauthorized` setting. If the value is something that evaluates to false, such as undefined or null, certificate verification will be disabled. ## Recommendation Update to version 1.6.9 or later. If you are unable to upgrade, ensure all calls to socket.io to have a `rejectedUnauthorized: true` flag.

CVE-2016-10536 Affected Engine.io client Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.6.9
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
engine.io-client
npm/engine.io-client
npm
< 1.6.9
1.6.9

References

NVD — CVE-2016-10536 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-10536
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/socketio/engine.io-client/commit/2c55b278a491bf45313ecc0825cf800e2f7ff5c1
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-4r4m-hjwj-43p8
www.cigital.com/blog/node-js-socket... WEB
https://www.cigital.com/blog/node-js-socket-io
www.npmjs.com/advisories/99 WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/99

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2016-10536?
CVE-2016-10536 is a security vulnerability in Engine.io client involving Insecure Defaults Allow MITM Over TLS in engine.io-client under CWE-300: Channel Accessible by Non-Endpoint.
Which Engine.io client versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.6.9 across affected packages: engine.io-client.
What version fixes CVE-2016-10536?
Upgrading to 1.6.9 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is engine.io-client affected?
Yes, engine.io-client is affected in releases prior to 1.6.9. Upgrade your dependency to 1.6.9 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2016-10536?
CVE-2016-10536 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.9 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2016-10536?
CVE-2016-10536 is classified under CWE-300: Channel Accessible by Non-Endpoint (The product does not adequately verify the identity of actors at both ends of a communication channel, or does not adequately ensure the integrity of the channel, in a way that allows the channel to be accessed or influenced by an actor that is not an endpoint.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2016-10536?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls engine.io-client'. 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-4r4m-hjwj-43p8",
  "modified" : "2023-09-07T22:50:46Z",
  "published" : "2019-02-18T23:39:50Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2016-10536" ],
  "summary" : "Insecure Defaults Allow MITM Over TLS in engine.io-client",
  "details" : "Affected versions of `engine.io-client` do not verify certificates by default, and as such may be vulnerable to Man-in-the-Middle attacks.\n\nThe vulnerability is related to the way that node.js handles the `rejectUnauthorized` setting. If the value is something that evaluates to false, such as undefined or null, certificate verification will be disabled. \n\n\n\n## Recommendation\n\nUpdate to version 1.6.9 or later.\n\nIf you are unable to upgrade, ensure all calls to socket.io to have a `rejectedUnauthorized: true` flag.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "engine.io-client"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.6.9"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-10536"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/socketio/engine.io-client/commit/2c55b278a491bf45313ecc0825cf800e2f7ff5c1"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-4r4m-hjwj-43p8"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.cigital.com/blog/node-js-socket-io"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/99"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-300" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T20:58:54Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}