CVE-2024-38355
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2024-38355 is a denial-of-service vulnerability in Socket.IO where specially crafted packets can trigger uncaught exceptions, causing the Node.js server process to crash. This affects all Socket.IO servers running vulnerable versions. The vulnerability allows attackers to disrupt real-time communication services without authentication.
💻 Affected Systems
- Socket.IO
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete service disruption with Socket.IO server process termination, requiring manual restart and causing extended downtime for real-time applications.
Likely Case
Intermittent service outages as attackers exploit the vulnerability to crash server processes, disrupting WebSocket connections and real-time features.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact with proper error handling and monitoring in place, allowing for automatic recovery and alerting.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires sending specially crafted Socket.IO packets but no authentication or complex techniques needed.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: socket.io@4.6.2 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/socketio/socket.io/security/advisories/GHSA-25hc-qcg6-38wj
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Socket.IO package using npm: 'npm update socket.io' 2. Verify version is 4.6.2 or higher 3. Restart Node.js application 4. For 2.x branch, apply backported fix from commit d30630ba10
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Error Event Listener
allAttach error event listeners to Socket.IO server to catch exceptions and prevent process termination
io.on('error', (err) => { console.error('Socket.IO error:', err); });
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement network-level filtering to block malicious Socket.IO packets
- Deploy process monitoring and automatic restart mechanisms for Node.js services
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Socket.IO version in package.json or via npm list socket.ioCheck Version:
npm list socket.io | grep socket.ioVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm Socket.IO version is 4.6.2 or higher, or verify backported fix is applied for 2.x branch📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Node.js process crashes
- Uncaught exception errors in Socket.IO logs
- Increased error events from Socket.IO
Network Indicators:
- Abnormal Socket.IO packet patterns
- Sudden WebSocket connection drops
SIEM Query:
source="nodejs" AND ("uncaught exception" OR "process.exit") AND "socket.io"🔗 References
- https://github.com/socketio/socket.io/commit/15af22fc22bc6030fcead322c106f07640336115
- https://github.com/socketio/socket.io/commit/d30630ba10562bf987f4d2b42440fc41a828119c
- https://github.com/socketio/socket.io/security/advisories/GHSA-25hc-qcg6-38wj
- https://github.com/socketio/socket.io/commit/15af22fc22bc6030fcead322c106f07640336115
- https://github.com/socketio/socket.io/commit/d30630ba10562bf987f4d2b42440fc41a828119c
- https://github.com/socketio/socket.io/security/advisories/GHSA-25hc-qcg6-38wj
- https://www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/unhandled-exception-in-socketio-cve-2024-38355
