CVE-2020-7755 in dat.gui
Summary
by MITRE • 10/28/2020
All versions of package dat.gui are vulnerable to Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) via specifically crafted rgb and rgba values.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/07/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-7755 affects the dat.gui package, a popular JavaScript library used for creating graphical user interfaces for controlling application parameters in web development environments. This package is widely utilized in creative coding, data visualization, and interactive web applications where developers need to provide intuitive controls for adjusting various parameters. The vulnerability manifests in the library's handling of color values, specifically when processing rgb and rgba color specifications that contain maliciously crafted input patterns. The issue represents a classic Regular Expression Denial of Service attack vector where an attacker can craft input strings that cause the regular expressions used for parsing color values to enter into catastrophic backtracking states, consuming excessive computational resources and potentially causing application crashes or unresponsiveness.
The technical flaw resides in the regular expression patterns used within the dat.gui library to validate and parse color specifications. When the library processes rgb or rgba color values, it employs regular expressions to identify and extract color component values. However, these regular expressions are not properly constructed to handle adversarial input patterns that trigger exponential backtracking behavior. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it allows attackers to craft color values that, when processed by the library, cause the regular expression engine to perform an enormous number of operations, effectively consuming all available CPU resources. This type of vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-400, which specifically addresses issues related to uncontrolled resource consumption through regular expression processing. The attack pattern aligns with the ATT&CK framework's technique T1496, which covers resource exhaustion attacks targeting application processing capabilities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple performance degradation to potentially enable more serious security consequences. When exploited, the ReDoS vulnerability can cause web applications using dat.gui to become unresponsive or crash entirely, disrupting user experience and potentially leading to denial of service conditions for legitimate users. Applications that rely on dat.gui for parameter control interfaces, such as creative coding environments, data visualization tools, or interactive web applications, could be rendered unusable by a single malicious color value input. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in environments where user input is processed through the library, as attackers could exploit this weakness in web applications, content management systems, or development tools that incorporate dat.gui functionality. The exploitability of this vulnerability means that even simple color value inputs can be crafted to cause significant computational overhead, making it a critical concern for any application that processes untrusted color data through this library.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2020-7755 should focus on updating to patched versions of the dat.gui library where the regular expressions have been properly constructed to prevent catastrophic backtracking. Developers should also implement input validation at application boundaries to sanitize color values before they reach the vulnerable library functions. Additionally, implementing rate limiting and resource monitoring can help detect and prevent exploitation attempts. Organizations using dat.gui should conduct thorough security assessments of their applications to identify all potential attack surfaces where color values might be processed, particularly in user-facing interfaces where malicious input could be injected. The fix typically involves rewriting the regular expressions to use more efficient patterns that do not exhibit exponential backtracking behavior, ensuring that even maliciously crafted inputs will process in reasonable time frames. Security teams should also consider implementing network-level protections and monitoring for unusual processing patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts.