CVE-2023-52555: Cross-site Request Forgery vulnerability in mongo-express

Background

Mongo-express is an npm package that provides a web-based user interface for managing MongoDB databases. It allows users to perform various operations such as creating, updating, and deleting collections. However, version 1.0.2 of mongo-express is vulnerable to Cross-site Request Forgery (CSRF) attacks, which can lead to unauthorized deletion of collections.

Vulnerability Detail

The CSRF vulnerability in mongo-express 1.0.2 allows an attacker to trick a user into performing unintended actions, such as deleting a collection, without their knowledge or consent. This can result in data loss or unauthorized modifications to the database. The vulnerability originates from the lack of proper CSRF protection in the /admin endpoint of mongo-express.

Workaround

If upgrading to a patched version is not immediately feasible, a temporary workaround is to implement CSRF protection at the application level. This can be achieved by adding CSRF tokens to all requests made to the /admin endpoint. Here is an example of how to implement CSRF protection using the Express.js framework:

const express = require('express');
const csrf = require('csurf');

const app = express();

// Enable CSRF protection
app.use(csrf({ cookie: true }));

// Add CSRF token to all responses
app.use((req, res, next) => {
  res.locals.csrfToken = req.csrfToken();
  next();
});

// Route handling /admin requests
app.post('/admin', (req, res) => {
  // Verify CSRF token
  if (req.csrfToken() !== req.body.csrfToken) {
    res.status(403).send('Invalid CSRF token');
    return;
  }

  // Process the request
  // ...
});

// ...

Conclusion

In conclusion, mongo-express version 1.0.2 is vulnerable to Cross-site Request Forgery (CSRF) attacks, which can lead to unauthorized deletion of collections. It is recommended to upgrade to a patched version of mongo-express or implement CSRF protection at the application level. For further support on vulnerability remediation, please contact DevNack.com.

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