CVE-2023-50966: erlang-jose Denial of Service Vulnerability
Summary
CVE-2023-50966: erlang-jose vulnerable to denial of service via large p2c value. Affects jose versions < 1.11.7. Fixed in 1.11.7. How to fix ↓
Also tracked for
- erlang-jose · Debian:11
The same CVE-2023-50966 is tracked separately for each ecosystem and vendor. Its fix information is the same; the package and affected versions differ.
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Background
erlang-jose is a library for Erlang and Elixir that provides support for JSON Object Signing and Encryption (JOSE) standards. It allows developers to create, sign, and encrypt JSON Web Tokens (JWTs) for secure communication. The library is widely used in Erlang and Elixir applications for implementing authentication and authorization mechanisms. However, versions up to 1.11.6 of erlang-jose are vulnerable to a denial of service (DoS) attack.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in erlang-jose arises from a lack of input validation on the p2c (PBES2 Count) value in a JOSE header. An attacker can exploit this by providing a large p2c value, leading to excessive CPU consumption and causing a DoS condition. This can result in degraded performance or unavailability of the affected application. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 5.3, indicating a moderate severity.
How To Fix
Latest published version: 1.11.12 as of 23 Oct 2026
Upgrading to it may include breaking changes; the version below is the minimum fixed release for this vulnerability.
If you need the minimum change
1.11.7
This is the first release that contains the fix.
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Workaround
There is no known workaround for this vulnerability. It is essential to apply the fix by upgrading to the patched version of erlang-jose.
Conclusion
The erlang-jose library up to version 1.11.6 is vulnerable to a denial of service (DoS) attack due to a lack of input validation on the p2c value in a JOSE header. To mitigate this vulnerability, it is recommended to upgrade to erlang-jose version 1.11.7 or later. For further assistance and support in vulnerability remediation, please contact DevNack.com.
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FAQ
erlang-jose is a library for Erlang and Elixir that provides support for JSON Object Signing and Encryption (JOSE) standards. It is commonly used for implementing authentication and authorization mechanisms in Erlang and Elixir applications.
The vulnerability allows an attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition by consuming excessive CPU resources. This can result in degraded performance or unavailability of the affected application.
To fix the vulnerability, upgrade erlang-jose to version 1.11.7 or later. This version includes a fix for the input validation issue.
No, there is no known workaround for this vulnerability. It is crucial to apply the fix by upgrading to the patched version of erlang-jose.
The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 5.3, indicating a moderate severity.
References
Related vulnerabilities
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