CVE-2021-44533: High severity Nodejs Node.js vulnerability

Published Jan 10, 2022
·
Updated

A flaw was found in node.js, where it did not properly handle multi-value Relative Distinguished Names. This flaw allows a specially crafted x509 certificate to produce a false multi-value Relative Distinguished Name and to inject arbitrary data in node.js libraries.

Other sources

Node.js < 12.22.9, < 14.18.3, < 16.13.2, and < 17.3.1 did not handle multi-value Relative Distinguished Names correctly. Attackers could craft certificate subjects containing a single-value Relative Distinguished Name that would be interpreted as a multi-value Relative Distinguished Name, for example, in order to inject a Common Name that would allow bypassing the certificate subject verification.Affected versions of Node.js that do not accept multi-value Relative Distinguished Names and are thus not vulnerable to such attacks themselves. However, third-party code that uses node's ambiguous presentation of certificate subjects may be vulnerable.

Node.js could allow a remote attacker to bypass security restrictions, caused by the incorrect handling of multi-value Relative Distinguished Names. By crafting certificate subjects containing a single-value Relative Distinguished Name that would be interpreted as a multi-value Relative Distinguished Name, an attacker could exploit this vulnerability to bypass the certificate subject verification.

IBM

Node.js did not handle multi-value Relative Distinguished Names correctly. Attackers could craft certificate subjects containing a single-value Relative Distinguished Name that would be interpreted as a multi-value Relative Distinguished Name, for example, in order to inject a Common Name that would allow bypassing the certificate subject verification.

Affected versions of Node.js do not accept multi-value Relative Distinguished Names and are thus not vulnerable to such attacks themselves. However, third-party code that uses node's ambiguous presentation of certificate subjects may be vulnerable.

Reference: https://nodejs.org/en/blog/vulnerability/jan-2022-security-releases/

Red Hat

Affected Software

26 affected componentsFixes available
redhat/rh-nodejs12-nodejs<0:12.22.12-2.el7
0:12.22.12-2.el7
redhat/rh-nodejs14-nodejs<0:14.20.1-2.el7
0:14.20.1-2.el7
debian/nodejs<=10.24.0~dfsg-1~deb10u1, <=10.24.0~dfsg-1~deb10u3
12.22.12~dfsg-1~deb11u418.13.0+dfsg1-1
Nodejs Node.js<12.22.9
Nodejs Node.js>=14.0.0<14.18.3
Nodejs Node.js>=16.0.0<16.13.2
Nodejs Node.js>=17.0.0<17.3.1
Oracle GraalVM=20.3.5
Oracle GraalVM=21.3.1
Oracle GraalVM=22.0.0.2
Oracle MySQL Cluster<8.0.29
Oracle MySQL Cluster=8.0.29
Oracle MySQL Connectors<=8.0.28
Oracle MySQL Enterprise Monitor<=8.0.29
Oracle MySQL Server<=5.7.37
Oracle MySQL Server>=8.0.0<=8.0.28
Oracle MySQL Workbench<=8.0.28
Oracle PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools=8.58
Oracle PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools=8.59
Debian Debian Linux=11.0
redhat/node<12.22.9
12.22.9
redhat/node<14.18.3
14.18.3
redhat/node<16.13.2
16.13.2
redhat/node<17.3.1
17.3.1
IBM Cognos Analytics<=11.2.0 - 11.2.2
IBM Cognos Analytics<=11.1.0 - 11.1.6 FP4

Event History

Jan 10, 2022
CVE Published
12:00 AM
Jan 14, 2022
Data Sourced
via Red Hat·07:44 PM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Feb 24, 2022
CVE Published
via MITRE·06:27 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·06:27 PM
DescriptionWeakness
Feb 23, 2026
Data Sourced
via IBM·11:32 PM
DescriptionAffected Software
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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is CVE-2021-44533?

CVE-2021-44533 is a vulnerability found in Node.js versions prior to 12.22.9, 14.18.3, 16.13.2, and 17.3.1.

2

How severe is CVE-2021-44533?

CVE-2021-44533 has a severity rating of 7.4, which is considered high.

3

How does CVE-2021-44533 affect Node.js?

CVE-2021-44533 affects Node.js versions prior to 12.22.9, 14.18.3, 16.13.2, and 17.3.1. It does not handle multi-value Relative Distinguished Names correctly, which could allow attackers to craft malicious certificates.

4

How can I fix CVE-2021-44533 in Node.js?

To fix CVE-2021-44533 in Node.js, you should update to version 12.22.9, 14.18.3, 16.13.2, or 17.3.1, which contain the necessary security patches.

5

Where can I find more information about CVE-2021-44533?

You can find more information about CVE-2021-44533 in the official Node.js security releases blog post and the associated bugzilla entries.

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