CVE-2016-10555 Forgeable Public/Private Tokens in jwt-simple
Attackers can forge JWT tokens by exploiting algorithm confusion in jwt-simple, bypassing authentication and modifying data.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2016-10555?
CVE-2016-10555 is a medium-severity vulnerability in HackerOne jwt-simple node module, published on 31 May 2018. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
Since "algorithm" isn't enforced in jwt.decode()in jwt-simple 0.3.0 and earlier, a malicious user could choose what algorithm is sent sent to the server. If the server is expecting RSA but is sent HMAC-SHA with RSA's public key, the server will think the public key is actually an HMAC private key. This could be used to forge any data an attacker wants.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2016-10555?
2 open source packages ship an affected version, including jwt-simple. It affects 1 product.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
jwt-simple npm | All versions | 0.3.1 |
jwt-simple npm | All versions | 0.3.1 |
Products include Jwt-Simple Project Jwt-Simple.
How do I fix CVE-2016-10555?
Upgrade jwt-simple to 0.3.1 or later.
Is CVE-2016-10555 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-10555 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Public exploit code: 3 proofs of concept on GitHub.
Sources
Also known as GHSA-vgrx-w6rg-8fqf.