The crypto-js package before 3.2.1 for Node.js generates random numbers by concatenating the string 0. with an integer, which makes the output more predictable than necessary.
Weakness
The product uses insufficiently random numbers or values in a security context that depends on unpredictable numbers.
Affected Software
| Name |
Vendor |
Start Version |
End Version |
| Crypto-js |
Crypto-js_project |
* |
3.2.1 (excluding) |
| Cryptojs |
Ubuntu |
bionic |
* |
| Cryptojs |
Ubuntu |
upstream |
* |
| Cryptojs |
Ubuntu |
xenial |
* |
Potential Mitigations
- Use a well-vetted algorithm that is currently considered to be strong by experts in the field, and select well-tested implementations with adequate length seeds.
- In general, if a pseudo-random number generator is not advertised as being cryptographically secure, then it is probably a statistical PRNG and should not be used in security-sensitive contexts.
- Pseudo-random number generators can produce predictable numbers if the generator is known and the seed can be guessed. A 256-bit seed is a good starting point for producing a “random enough” number.
References