CVE-2023-46233
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2023-46233 is a critical cryptographic weakness in crypto-js library where PBKDF2 defaults to insecure SHA1 hash with only 1 iteration, making password hashing and signature generation extremely vulnerable to brute-force attacks. Anyone using crypto-js PBKDF2 with default settings is affected, potentially exposing passwords and cryptographic signatures.
💻 Affected Systems
- crypto-js JavaScript library
📦 What is this software?
Crypto Js by Crypto Js Project
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers can brute-force passwords or forge cryptographic signatures in seconds to minutes, leading to complete system compromise, data theft, and unauthorized access.
Likely Case
Password databases become easily crackable, allowing credential theft and account takeover attacks.
If Mitigated
With proper configuration (SHA256 + high iterations), PBKDF2 remains secure against brute-force attacks.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires access to hashed passwords or signatures. Attack is straightforward cryptographic brute-forcing.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 4.2.0
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/brix/crypto-js/security/advisories/GHSA-xwcq-pm8m-c4vf
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Update crypto-js to version 4.2.0 or later using npm: npm update crypto-js 2. Verify the update with: npm list crypto-js 3. Test PBKDF2 functionality after update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Configure Strong PBKDF2 Parameters
allManually configure crypto-js PBKDF2 to use SHA256 with at least 250,000 iterations
// JavaScript configuration example:
const crypto = require('crypto-js');
const derivedKey = crypto.PBKDF2(password, salt, { keySize: 256/32, iterations: 250000, hasher: crypto.algo.SHA256 });
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Immediately reconfigure all PBKDF2 usage to SHA256 with minimum 250,000 iterations
- Force password resets for all users and re-hash passwords with secure parameters
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check package.json or run: npm list crypto-js | grep crypto-jsCheck Version:
npm list crypto-js | grep crypto-jsVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 4.2.0+ and inspect PBKDF2 calls for SHA256 and high iteration count📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual password reset patterns
- Multiple failed login attempts from single source
Network Indicators:
- Mass credential stuffing attempts
- Unexpected authentication traffic
SIEM Query:
source="application" AND (event="password_hash" OR event="authentication") AND library="crypto-js" AND version<"4.2.0"🔗 References
- https://github.com/brix/crypto-js/commit/421dd538b2d34e7c24a5b72cc64dc2b9167db40a
- https://github.com/brix/crypto-js/security/advisories/GHSA-xwcq-pm8m-c4vf
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/11/msg00025.html
- https://github.com/brix/crypto-js/commit/421dd538b2d34e7c24a5b72cc64dc2b9167db40a
- https://github.com/brix/crypto-js/security/advisories/GHSA-xwcq-pm8m-c4vf
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/11/msg00025.html
