Auth bypass in Nodebb

CVE-2020-15149

NodeBB before version 1.14.3 has a bug introduced in version 1.12.2 in the validation logic that makes it possible to change the password of any user on a running NodeBB forum by sending a specially crafted socket.io call to the server. This could lead to a privilege escalation event due via an account takeover. As a workaround you may cherry-pick the following commit from the project's repository to your running instance of NodeBB: 16cee1b03ba3eee177834a1fdac4aa8a12b39d2a. This is fixed in version 1.14.3.

Vulnerability class: Privilege Escalation

EPSS: 0.024 (82.6th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 9.9 (Critical). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:L.

Affected products

  • Nodebb — versions >=12.2.2, < 1.14.3

Weakness classification (CWE)

Public proof-of-concept exploits

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-15149?
CVE-2020-15149 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Nodebb, classified under Improper Privilege Management. CVSS score: 9.9/10. Published 2020-08-20.
How severe is CVE-2020-15149?
Critical severity. CVSS v3 base score is 9.9 out of 10.
Is CVE-2020-15149 known to be exploited?
1 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.