CVE-2021-23343 : Security Advisory and Response

A detailed overview of CVE-2021-23343, a vulnerability affecting the 'path-parse' package leading to Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS).

Understanding CVE-2021-23343

In this section, we will cover what CVE-2021-23343 is and its impact, along with the technical details and mitigation strategies.

What is CVE-2021-23343?

CVE-2021-23343 refers to a vulnerability in the 'path-parse' package that allows attackers to carry out Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) attacks by exploiting specific regular expressions within the package.

The Impact of CVE-2021-23343

The vulnerability can have a medium severity impact, with the potential for causing a denial of service due to the polynomial worst-case time complexity exhibited by ReDoS.

Technical Details of CVE-2021-23343

Let's delve deeper into the technical aspects of CVE-2021-23343 to understand the vulnerability better.

Vulnerability Description

All versions of the 'path-parse' package are vulnerable to ReDoS attacks through the 'splitDeviceRe', 'splitTailRe', and 'splitPathRe' regular expressions.

Affected Systems and Versions

The vulnerability affects all versions of the 'path-parse' package with a version type of 'custom'.

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers can exploit the vulnerable regular expressions in 'path-parse' to trigger a ReDoS attack, potentially leading to service denial.

Mitigation and Prevention

It is crucial to take immediate steps to mitigate the risks posed by CVE-2021-23343 and prevent any potential exploitation.

Immediate Steps to Take

Users should update the 'path-parse' package to a non-vulnerable version to safeguard their systems against ReDoS attacks.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implementing secure coding practices and regular security audits can help in reducing the likelihood of ReDoS vulnerabilities in packages like 'path-parse'.

Patching and Updates

Stay informed about security updates for the 'path-parse' package and promptly apply patches released by the vendor to address known vulnerabilities.