# CVE-2023-30591: NodeBB Pre-Authentication Denial-of-Service

> Unauthenticated attackers can crash NodeBB by sending crafted Socket.IO messages with invalid event name types.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 29 Sep 2023
- **Updated:** 23 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-mp98-q49w-jjhw

## What is CVE-2023-30591?

CVE-2023-30591 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in NodeBB, Inc. NodeBB, published on 29 Sep 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Denial-of-service in NodeBB <= v2.8.10 allows unauthenticated attackers to trigger a crash, when invoking `eventName.startsWith()` or `eventName.toString()`, while processing Socket.IO messages via crafted Socket.IO messages containing array or object type for the event name respectively.

Weakness: CWE-754 (Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions), CWE-241 (Improper Handling of Unexpected Data Type)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-30591?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Nodebb Nodebb.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-30591?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-30591 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2023-30591 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2023-30591 exists.

## Other vulnerabilities in NodeBB, Inc. NodeBB

- [CVE-2023-26045](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-26045/): NodeBB vulnerable to path traversal and code execution via prototype vulnerability (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2020-15149](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-15149/): Account takeover in NodeBB (critical 9.9)
- [CVE-2023-43187](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-43187/): Code injection in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2021-43786](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-43786/): API token verification can be bypassed (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2022-46164](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-46164/): Account takeover via prototype vulnerability (critical 9.4)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-30591 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-30591 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in NodeBB, Inc. NodeBB, published on 29 Sep 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2023-30591 exists.

Affected product: NodeBB, Inc. NodeBB. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-30591/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-30591/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-30591
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-30591
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-30591

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-30591/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.