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Elliptic Uses a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm

Moderate severity GitHub Reviewed Published Mar 8, 2021 to the GitHub Advisory Database • Updated Sep 6, 2023

Package

npm elliptic (npm)

Affected versions

< 6.5.4

Patched versions

6.5.4

Description

The npm package elliptic before version 6.5.4 are vulnerable to Cryptographic Issues via the secp256k1 implementation in elliptic/ec/key.js. There is no check to confirm that the public key point passed into the derive function actually exists on the secp256k1 curve. This results in the potential for the private key used in this implementation to be revealed after a number of ECDH operations are performed.

References

Published by the National Vulnerability Database Feb 2, 2021
Reviewed Mar 8, 2021
Published to the GitHub Advisory Database Mar 8, 2021
Last updated Sep 6, 2023

Severity

Moderate

CVSS overall score

This score calculates overall vulnerability severity from 0 to 10 and is based on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).
/ 10

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
High
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector: More severe the more the remote (logically and physically) an attacker can be in order to exploit the vulnerability.
Attack complexity: More severe for the least complex attacks.
Privileges required: More severe if no privileges are required.
User interaction: More severe when no user interaction is required.
Scope: More severe when a scope change occurs, e.g. one vulnerable component impacts resources in components beyond its security scope.
Confidentiality: More severe when loss of data confidentiality is highest, measuring the level of data access available to an unauthorized user.
Integrity: More severe when loss of data integrity is the highest, measuring the consequence of data modification possible by an unauthorized user.
Availability: More severe when the loss of impacted component availability is highest.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N

EPSS score

0.116%
(46th percentile)

Weaknesses

CVE ID

CVE-2020-28498

GHSA ID

GHSA-r9p9-mrjm-926w

Source code

No known source code
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