Node.js up to 20.2.0 HTTP header request smuggling

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability identified as critical has been detected in Node.js up to 20.2.0. Impacted is an unknown function of the component HTTP Module. The manipulation of the argument header leads to request smuggling. This vulnerability is uniquely identified as CVE-2023-30589. The attack is possible to be carried out remotely. No exploit exists.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability, which was classified as critical, has been found in Node.js up to 20.2.0 (JavaScript Library). This issue affects some unknown functionality of the component HTTP Module. The manipulation of the argument header with an unknown input leads to a request smuggling vulnerability. Using CWE to declare the problem leads to CWE-444. The product acts as an intermediary HTTP agent (such as a proxy or firewall) in the data flow between two entities such as a client and server, but it does not interpret malformed HTTP requests or responses in ways that are consistent with how the messages will be processed by those entities that are at the ultimate destination. Impacted is confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

The llhttp parser in the http module in Node v20.2.0 does not strictly use the CRLF sequence to delimit HTTP requests. This can lead to HTTP Request Smuggling (HRS). The CR character (without LF) is sufficient to delimit HTTP header fields in the llhttp parser. According to RFC7230 section 3, only the CRLF sequence should delimit each header-field. This impacts all Node.js active versions: v16, v18, and, v20

The weakness was disclosed 07/01/2023. It is possible to read the advisory at hackerone.com. The identification of this vulnerability is CVE-2023-30589 since 04/13/2023. Technical details of the vulnerability are known, but there is no available exploit. The pricing for an exploit might be around USD $0-$5k at the moment (estimation calculated on 02/14/2025).

The vulnerability scanner Nessus provides a plugin with the ID 216256 (Oracle Linux 8 : nodejs:20 (ELSA-2025-1351)), which helps to determine the existence of the flaw in a target environment.

There is no information about possible countermeasures known. It may be suggested to replace the affected object with an alternative product.

The vulnerability is also documented in the vulnerability database at Tenable (216256). Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.

Productinfo

Type

• JavaScript Library

Name

• Node.js

Version

• 20.0
• 20.1
• 20.2.0

License

• open-source

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CPE 2.2info

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Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.

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