Account takeover via cryptographically weak PRNG in NodeBB Forum
Published Aug 31, 2022
9.8
CRITICALCVSS 3.1
EPSS 1.32%
Description
NodeBB Forum Software is powered by Node.js and supports either Redis, MongoDB, or a PostgreSQL database. It utilizes web sockets for instant interactions and real-time notifications. `utils.generateUUID`, a helper function available in essentially all versions of NodeBB (as far back as v1.0.1 and potentially earlier) used a cryptographically insecure Pseudo-random number generator (`Math.random()`), which meant that a specially crafted script combined with multiple invocations of the password reset functionality could enable an attacker to correctly calculate the reset code for an account they do not have access to. This vulnerability impacts all installations of NodeBB. The vulnerability allows for an attacker to take over any account without the involvement of the victim, and as such, the remediation should be applied immediately (either via NodeBB upgrade or cherry-pick of the specific changeset. The vulnerability has been patched in version 2.x and 1.19.x. There is no known workaround, but the patch sets listed above will fully patch the vulnerability.
Affected products
-
- Version < 1.19.8StatusaffectedConstraints-
- Version = 2.0.0StatusaffectedConstraints-
- Version
No data.
No Red Hat product state for this CVE.
nodebb
npm
Introduced 2.0.0 Fixed 2.0.1nodebb
npm
Introduced 0 Fixed 1.19.8
| Ecosystem | Package | Introduced | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| npm | nodebb | 2.0.0 | 2.0.1 |
| npm | nodebb | 0 | 1.19.8 |
Remediation
No remediation recorded yet.
Metrics
No CVSS v4.0 score for this CVE.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
1 other source (GitHub) ▾
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
No CVSS v3.0 score for this CVE.
No CVSS v2.0 score for this CVE.
This CVE is not in the KEV list.
CISA SSVC (Vulnrichment)
Stakeholder-Specific Vulnerability Categorization from CISA ADP.
Exploitation
NoneAutomatable
NoTechnical Impact
TotalDecision
n/aAssessed Apr 23, 2025 · SSVC 2.0.3
Estimated probability of exploitation in the wild in the next 30 days (FIRST EPSS). As of Oct 3, 2026.
Score over time
2022–2026- EPSS v2
- EPSS v3
- EPSS v4
- EPSS v5
Percentile over time
- EPSS v2
- EPSS v3
- EPSS v4
- EPSS v5
Table of values (14 key points)
Flat stretches are collapsed; showing up to 120 newest points.
| Date | Score | Percentile | Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 3, 2026 | 1.32% (0.01320) | 69.87th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Jun 15, 2026 | 1.01% (0.01014) | 58.58th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Mar 17, 2025 | 0.19% (0.00190) | 38.73th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Dec 12, 2024 | 0.21% (0.00212) | 60.01th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Apr 21, 2024 | 0.21% (0.00212) | 58.76th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Apr 7, 2024 | 0.20% (0.00200) | 57.08th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Feb 11, 2024 | 0.17% (0.00170) | 52.74th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Oct 3, 2023 | 0.15% (0.00148) | 50.45th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Sep 7, 2023 | 0.13% (0.00132) | 47.60th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Aug 1, 2023 | 0.07% (0.00073) | 30.30th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Mar 7, 2023 | 0.06% (0.00063) | 25.28th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Mar 6, 2023 | 0.95% (0.00954) | 36.37th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Sep 7, 2022 | 0.95% (0.00954) | 34.55th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Sep 1, 2022 | 0.89% (0.00890) | 28.53th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
References (5)
- https://github.com/NodeBB/NodeBB/commit/81e3c1ba488d03371a5ce8d0ebb5c5803026e0f9 x_refsource_MISCPatchThird Party Advisory
- https://github.com/NodeBB/NodeBB/commit/e802fab87f94a13f397f04cfe6068f2f7ddf7888 x_refsource_MISCPatchThird Party Advisory
- https://github.com/NodeBB/NodeBB/security/advisories/GHSA-p4cc-w597-6cpm x_refsource_CONFIRMThird Party Advisory
- https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-p4cc-w597-6cpm Advisory
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-36045
| Link | Providers | Tags |
|---|---|---|
| https://github.com/NodeBB/NodeBB/commit/81e3c1ba488d03371a5ce8d0ebb5c5803026e0f9 | x_refsource_MISCPatchThird Party Advisory | |
| https://github.com/NodeBB/NodeBB/commit/e802fab87f94a13f397f04cfe6068f2f7ddf7888 | x_refsource_MISCPatchThird Party Advisory | |
| https://github.com/NodeBB/NodeBB/security/advisories/GHSA-p4cc-w597-6cpm | x_refsource_CONFIRMThird Party Advisory | |
| https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-p4cc-w597-6cpm | Advisory | |
| https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-36045 |
Change history (0)
No recorded changes yet.