Vulnerability · Published Oct 25, 2023 · Assigned by GitHub_M
CVE-2023-46233crypto-js PBKDF2 1,000 times weaker than specified in 1993 and 1.3M times weaker than current standard
Critical 9.1
In plain English
A critical-severity security flaw in crypto-js from brix. There are no confirmed reports of exploitation so far. The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 0.6% (higher than 51% of all known vulnerabilities). Fixed versions are available - upgrade the affected package.
Official description
crypto-js is a JavaScript library of crypto standards. Prior to version 4.2.0, crypto-js PBKDF2 is 1,000 times weaker than originally specified in 1993, and at least 1,300,000 times weaker than current industry standard. This is because it both defaults to SHA1, a cryptographic hash algorithm considered insecure since at least 2005, and defaults to one single iteration, a 'strength' or 'difficulty' value specified at 1,000 when specified in 1993. PBKDF2 relies on iteration count as a countermeasure to preimage and collision attacks. If used to protect passwords, the impact is high. If used to generate signatures, the impact is high. Version 4.2.0 contains a patch for this issue. As a workaround, configure crypto-js to use SHA256 with at least 250,000 iterations.
Affected packages & fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | cryptojs | no fix listed | DEBIAN-CVE-2023-46233 |
| Ubuntu:24.04:LTS | cryptojs | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2023-46233 |
| npm | crypto-js | 4.2.0 | GHSA-xwcq-pm8m-c4vf |
Affected products (as reported)
Weakness: CWE-328, CWE-916 · Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N