CVE-2023-38504: Denial of Service Vulnerability in sails
Summary
CVE-2023-38504: DoS vulnerability for apps with sockets enabled. Affects sails versions < 1.5.7. Fixed in 1.5.7. How to fix ↓
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Background
Sails is an open-source web application framework for Node.js that follows the MVC (Model-View-Controller) pattern. It provides a robust set of features for building scalable and real-time applications. Sails apps with version <=v1.5.6 are vulnerable to a Denial of Service (DoS) attack.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability allows an attacker to send a virtual request that crashes the node process in Sails apps <=v1.5.6. This can lead to service disruption and unavailability. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 7.5, indicating a high severity level.
How To Fix
Latest published version: 1.5.18 as of 22 Oct 2026
npm install sails@1.5.18Upgrading to it may include breaking changes; the version below is the minimum fixed release for this vulnerability.
If you need the minimum change
1.5.7
This is the first release that contains the fix.
npm install sails@1.5.7Tip — Not sure which version your app runs? Vulert can match this fix to it. Scan free →
Workaround
If upgrading is not immediately possible, a temporary workaround is to disable the sockets hook and remove the sails.io.js client from the application. This can help mitigate the risk of exploitation.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Denial of Service vulnerability in Sails apps <=v1.5.6 can be mitigated by upgrading to Sails v1.5.7 or later. If immediate upgrade is not possible, disabling the sockets hook and removing the sails.io.js client can serve as a temporary workaround. For further support on vulnerability remediation, please contact DevNack.com.
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FAQ
The vulnerability allows an attacker to crash the node process in Sails apps, leading to service disruption and unavailability.
To fix this vulnerability, upgrade to Sails v1.5.7 or later. This version includes the necessary fix to prevent the crash caused by the virtual request.
Yes, a temporary workaround is to disable the sockets hook and remove the sails.io.js client from the application. This can help mitigate the risk of exploitation until the upgrade can be performed.
The CVSS score of this vulnerability is 7.5, indicating a high severity level.
You can find more information about this vulnerability in the Sails GitHub repository, specifically in the pull request [link to pull request].
References
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