Auth bypass in Stellar Js-Stellar-Sdk

CVE-2021-32738

js-stellar-sdk is a Javascript library for communicating with a Stellar Horizon server. The `Utils.readChallengeTx` function used in SEP-10 Stellar Web Authentication states in its function documentation that it reads and validates the challenge transaction including verifying that the `serverAccountID` has signed the transaction. In js-stellar-sdk before version 8.2.3, the function does not verify that the server has signed the transaction. Applications that also used `Utils.verifyChallengeTxThreshold` or `Utils.verifyChallengeTxSigners` to verify the signatures including the server signature on the challenge transaction are unaffected as those functions verify the server signed the transaction. Applications calling `Utils.readChallengeTx` should update to version 8.2.3, the first version with a patch for this vulnerability, to ensure that the challenge transaction is completely valid and signed by the server creating the challenge transaction.

Vulnerability class: Broken Authentication

EPSS: 0.005 (40.8th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 6.5 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N.

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-32738?
CVE-2021-32738 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Stellar Js-Stellar-Sdk, classified under Improper Authentication. CVSS score: 6.5/10. Published 2021-07-02.
How severe is CVE-2021-32738?
Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 6.5 out of 10.