Overview
Node.js is a JavaScript runtime built on Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine. It offers an event-driven, non-blocking I/O model that makes it lightweight and efficient, and is widely used in web applications and server-side development.
An Execution with Unnecessary Privileges vulnerability has been identified in Node.js. The issue stems from setuid() not affecting libuv's internal io_uring operations if initialized before the call to setuid(). This weakness allows attackers to perform privileged operations despite presumably having dropped such privileges through a call to setuid().
This vulnerability affects specific versions of the package and can result in unauthorized access. Details on affected versions and reproduction steps are provided below.
Details
Module Info
Affected packages: Node.js
Affected versions: 4.0 < 20.11.1
GitHub repository: https://github.com/nodejs/node
Published packages: https://github.com/nodejs/node/releases
Package manager: npm
Fixed in: Node.js NES version 18
Vulnerability Info
The issue stems from improper privilege management.
For instance, in a scenario where a process drops its privileges via setuid(), if the io_uring operations are initialized beforehand, the system may still allow privileged operations. This behavior can be exploited by attackers to escalate privileges.
This vulnerability is a result of flawed logic, and may allow attackers to execute arbitrary code.
- https://hackerone.com/reports/2170226
- https://owasp.org/www-project-web-security-testing-guide/latest/4-Web_Application_Security_Testing/05-Authorization_Testing/03-Testing_for_Privilege_Escalation
Credits
- valette
Mitigation
This vulnerability is not fixed upstream due to the release line being EOL. Herodevs has issued patched builds under the NES (Never Ending Support) line.
- Update to a patched LTS version of Node.js
- Leverage a commercial support partner like HeroDevs for post-EOL security.
Refer to the NES documentation for upgrade instructions.
