fast-uri is a dependency-free RFC 3986 URI parser and serializer for Node.js. In versions before 2.4.8, from 3.0.0 through 3.1.8, and from 4.0.0 through 4.2.2, fast-uri percent-decodes the scheme component with the legacy global unescape() function before validating it, so an input whose decoded scheme is a dangerous token is emitted as a live scheme even though RFC 3986 does not allow percent-encoding in a scheme and no other parser accepts it. An application that screens dangerous schemes on the raw input and then stores or renders the normalized or resolved result can turn an inert string into an executable javascript, data, or vbscript URL, producing a stored or reflected cross-site scripting vector, and the equal() comparison treats an encoded and a plain scheme as the same, which can bypass equality-based allowlists. The issue is fixed in fast-uri 2.4.8, 3.1.9, and 4.2.3, and users should upgrade to one of these versions or later. As a workaround, reject input whose scheme part contains a percent sign, or check the parsed scheme against an allowlist after normalization and use that same parsed result rather than the raw string.
Weakness
The product does not properly encode or decode the data, resulting in unexpected values.
Affected Software
| Name | Vendor | Start Version | End Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Node-ajv | Ubuntu | upstream | * |
Potential Mitigations
- Assume all input is malicious. Use an “accept known good” input validation strategy, i.e., use a list of acceptable inputs that strictly conform to specifications. Reject any input that does not strictly conform to specifications, or transform it into something that does.
- When performing input validation, consider all potentially relevant properties, including length, type of input, the full range of acceptable values, missing or extra inputs, syntax, consistency across related fields, and conformance to business rules. As an example of business rule logic, “boat” may be syntactically valid because it only contains alphanumeric characters, but it is not valid if the input is only expected to contain colors such as “red” or “blue.”
- Do not rely exclusively on looking for malicious or malformed inputs. This is likely to miss at least one undesirable input, especially if the code’s environment changes. This can give attackers enough room to bypass the intended validation. However, denylists can be useful for detecting potential attacks or determining which inputs are so malformed that they should be rejected outright.
Related Attack Patterns
- https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/120.html
- https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/267.html
- https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/3.html
- https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/52.html
- https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/53.html
- https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/64.html
- https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/71.html
- https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/72.html
- https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/78.html
- https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/80.html