Skip to content

Misuse of `Reference` and other transferable APIs may lead to access to nodejs isolate

High severity GitHub Reviewed Published Mar 30, 2021 in laverdet/isolated-vm • Updated Feb 1, 2023

Package

npm isolated-vm (npm)

Affected versions

< 4.0.0

Patched versions

4.0.0

Description

Versions of isolated-vm before v4.0.0, and especially before v3.0.0, have API pitfalls which may make it easy for implementers to expose supposed secure isolates to the permissions of the main nodejs isolate.

Reference objects allow access to the underlying reference's full prototype chain. In an environment where the implementer has exposed a Reference instance to an attacker they would be able to use it to acquire a Reference to the nodejs context's Function object.

Similar application-specific attacks could be possible by modifying the local prototype of other API objects.

Access to NativeModule objects could allow an attacker to load and run native code from anywhere on the filesystem. If combined with, for example, a file upload API this would allow for arbitrary code execution.

To address these issues the following changes were made in v4.0.0:

  • Documentation was updated with more explicit guidelines on building secure applications.
  • Reference instances will no longer follow prototype chains by default, nor will they invoke accessors or proxies.
  • All isolated-vm API prototypes are now immutable.
  • NativeModule constructor may only be invoked from a nodejs isolate.

References

@laverdet laverdet published to laverdet/isolated-vm Mar 30, 2021
Reviewed Mar 30, 2021
Published by the National Vulnerability Database Mar 30, 2021
Published to the GitHub Advisory Database Apr 6, 2021
Last updated Feb 1, 2023

Severity

High

CVSS overall score

This score calculates overall vulnerability severity from 0 to 10 and is based on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).
/ 10

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector
Adjacent
Attack complexity
High
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector: More severe the more the remote (logically and physically) an attacker can be in order to exploit the vulnerability.
Attack complexity: More severe for the least complex attacks.
Privileges required: More severe if no privileges are required.
User interaction: More severe when no user interaction is required.
Scope: More severe when a scope change occurs, e.g. one vulnerable component impacts resources in components beyond its security scope.
Confidentiality: More severe when loss of data confidentiality is highest, measuring the level of data access available to an unauthorized user.
Integrity: More severe when loss of data integrity is the highest, measuring the consequence of data modification possible by an unauthorized user.
Availability: More severe when the loss of impacted component availability is highest.
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N

EPSS score

0.173%
(55th percentile)

Weaknesses

CVE ID

CVE-2021-21413

GHSA ID

GHSA-mmhj-4w6j-76h7

Source code

No known source code

Credits

Loading Checking history
See something to contribute? Suggest improvements for this vulnerability.