CVE-2023-30588 Overview
CVE-2023-30588 is a Denial of Service (DoS) vulnerability in Node.js affecting the crypto.X509Certificate() API. When an invalid public key is used to create an x509 certificate using this API, an unexpected termination occurs, causing the application to crash. This vulnerability can be exploited by attackers who can force interruptions of application processing, as the process terminates when accessing public key information of provided certificates from user code.
Critical Impact
Attackers can cause application crashes and service disruptions by supplying malformed X.509 certificates with invalid public keys, leading to complete loss of user context and availability.
Affected Products
- Node.js v16 (all active versions)
- Node.js v18 (all active versions)
- Node.js v20 (all active versions)
Discovery Timeline
- 2023-11-28 - CVE-2023-30588 published to NVD
- 2025-11-03 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2023-30588
Vulnerability Analysis
This vulnerability exists within the Node.js cryptographic subsystem, specifically in how the crypto.X509Certificate() API handles malformed certificate data. When user-supplied certificates contain invalid public key information, the underlying certificate parsing logic fails to properly validate or handle the error condition. Instead of gracefully returning an error or throwing a catchable exception, the process terminates unexpectedly.
The impact is particularly significant for web applications and services that process user-supplied certificates, such as mutual TLS (mTLS) implementations, certificate validation services, or any application that allows users to upload or submit X.509 certificates for processing. An attacker with network access can submit specially crafted certificates to trigger the crash condition.
Root Cause
The root cause lies in insufficient error handling within the crypto.X509Certificate() API when processing certificates with invalid public key structures. The API fails to properly validate public key data before attempting to access its properties, resulting in an unrecoverable error that terminates the Node.js process rather than returning a handled exception to the calling code.
Attack Vector
The attack can be executed remotely over the network without requiring authentication or user interaction. An attacker needs only to identify an application endpoint that processes X.509 certificates and submit a malformed certificate containing an invalid public key. Common attack surfaces include:
- Certificate upload endpoints in web applications
- mTLS/client certificate authentication handlers
- Certificate validation APIs
- Any service that parses user-provided X.509 certificates
When the vulnerable crypto.X509Certificate() API attempts to parse the malicious certificate and access its public key information, the Node.js process crashes, denying service to all users of that application instance.
Detection Methods for CVE-2023-30588
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected Node.js process terminations without explicit error logging
- Application crashes occurring during certificate processing operations
- Repeated service restarts correlated with certificate-related API requests
- Error logs showing termination in crypto or X.509 certificate handling code paths
Detection Strategies
- Monitor application logs for sudden process terminations related to cryptographic operations
- Implement request logging to identify patterns of malformed certificate submissions
- Use application performance monitoring (APM) tools to detect unexpected process crashes
- Deploy intrusion detection rules that flag malformed X.509 certificate submissions
Monitoring Recommendations
- Set up alerting for Node.js process crashes and unexpected restarts
- Monitor certificate processing endpoints for unusual traffic patterns or error rates
- Implement health checks that can detect service unavailability quickly
- Track and analyze certificate validation failures as potential attack indicators
How to Mitigate CVE-2023-30588
Immediate Actions Required
- Upgrade Node.js to the latest patched version in your active release line
- Review and audit all code paths that accept user-supplied X.509 certificates
- Implement input validation on certificate data before passing to crypto APIs
- Consider wrapping certificate processing in worker threads or child processes for isolation
Patch Information
Node.js has released security patches to address this vulnerability. Organizations should update to the fixed versions as documented in the Node.js June 2023 Security Blog. Additional information is available through the NetApp Security Advisory NTAP-20240621-0006 and NetApp Security Advisory NTAP-20241101-0011.
Workarounds
- Validate certificate structure before processing with Node.js crypto APIs
- Implement certificate processing in isolated worker processes to contain crashes
- Use rate limiting on certificate upload and validation endpoints
- Consider using a reverse proxy to pre-validate certificate formats before they reach the Node.js application
# Example: Update Node.js to patched version using nvm
nvm install --lts
nvm use --lts
node --version
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
