1. Home
  2. Vulnerabilities
  3. CVE-2023-46233
9.1
CRITICAL CVSS 3.1
CVE-2023-46233
crypto-js PBKDF2 1,000 times weaker than specified in 1993 and 1.3M times weaker than current standard
Description

crypto-js is a JavaScript library of crypto standards. Prior to version 4.2.0, crypto-js PBKDF2 is 1,000 times weaker than originally specified in 1993, and at least 1,300,000 times weaker than current industry standard. This is because it both defaults to SHA1, a cryptographic hash algorithm considered insecure since at least 2005, and defaults to one single iteration, a 'strength' or 'difficulty' value specified at 1,000 when specified in 1993. PBKDF2 relies on iteration count as a countermeasure to preimage and collision attacks. If used to protect passwords, the impact is high. If used to generate signatures, the impact is high. Version 4.2.0 contains a patch for this issue. As a workaround, configure crypto-js to use SHA256 with at least 250,000 iterations.

INFO

Published Date :

Oct. 25, 2023, 9:15 p.m.

Last Modified :

Nov. 21, 2024, 8:28 a.m.

Remotely Exploit :

Yes !

Source :

[email protected]
Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2023-46233 vulnerability. Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the products that are affected, the information is not represented in the table below.

ID Vendor Product Action
1 Crypto-js_project crypto-js
: Total Affected Vendor : 1 | Products : 1
CVSS Scores
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System is a standardized framework for assessing the severity of vulnerabilities in software and systems. We collect and displays CVSS scores from various sources for each CVE.
Score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Score Impact Score Source
CVSS 3.1 CRITICAL [email protected]
CVSS 3.1 CRITICAL [email protected]
Solution
Update crypto-js and related RHEL .NET packages to address the PBKDF2 weakness.
  • Upgrade the crypto-js package to version 4.2.0 or later.
  • Update affected RHEL .NET packages as appropriate.
Public PoC/Exploit Available at Github

CVE-2023-46233 has a 4 public PoC/Exploit available at Github. Go to the Public Exploits tab to see the list.

References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools

Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to CVE-2023-46233.

URL Resource
https://github.com/brix/crypto-js/commit/421dd538b2d34e7c24a5b72cc64dc2b9167db40a Patch
https://github.com/brix/crypto-js/security/advisories/GHSA-xwcq-pm8m-c4vf Vendor Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/11/msg00025.html
https://github.com/brix/crypto-js/commit/421dd538b2d34e7c24a5b72cc64dc2b9167db40a Patch
https://github.com/brix/crypto-js/security/advisories/GHSA-xwcq-pm8m-c4vf Vendor Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/11/msg00025.html
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2023-46233 is associated with the following CWEs:

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC) stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2023-46233 weaknesses.

CAPEC-20: Encryption Brute Forcing Encryption Brute Forcing CAPEC-97: Cryptanalysis Cryptanalysis CAPEC-459: Creating a Rogue Certification Authority Certificate Creating a Rogue Certification Authority Certificate CAPEC-473: Signature Spoof Signature Spoof CAPEC-475: Signature Spoofing by Improper Validation Signature Spoofing by Improper Validation CAPEC-608: Cryptanalysis of Cellular Encryption Cryptanalysis of Cellular Encryption CAPEC-614: Rooting SIM Cards Rooting SIM Cards CAPEC-68: Subvert Code-signing Facilities Subvert Code-signing Facilities CAPEC-461: Web Services API Signature Forgery Leveraging Hash Function Extension Weakness Web Services API Signature Forgery Leveraging Hash Function Extension Weakness CAPEC-55: Rainbow Table Password Cracking Rainbow Table Password Cracking

We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).

Profile Photo
Claret-cyber/Container-Security-Report

Container security assessment of OWASP Juice Shop using Trivy. Includes scan results, vulnerabilities, and lessons learned.

Updated: 2 days, 12 hours ago
0 stars 0 fork 0 watcher
Born at : Sept. 15, 2025, 11:16 a.m. This repo has been linked 4 different CVEs too.
Profile Photo
jamiesmith/portfolio

None

Shell Python

Updated: 1 month, 1 week ago
0 stars 0 fork 0 watcher
Born at : Aug. 4, 2025, 2:29 p.m. This repo has been linked 3 different CVEs too.
Profile Photo
NursenKarabulut/AppSec_CICD_Trivy_Semgrep_and_DefectDojo

None

Updated: 1 month, 4 weeks ago
0 stars 0 fork 0 watcher
Born at : May 3, 2025, 12:37 p.m. This repo has been linked 1 different CVEs too.
Profile Photo
anthonykirby/lora-packet

LoRa radio packet decoder

JavaScript TypeScript

Updated: 1 month, 4 weeks ago
272 stars 81 fork 81 watcher
Born at : July 18, 2016, 5:11 p.m. This repo has been linked 8 different CVEs too.

Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.

The following list is the news that have been mention CVE-2023-46233 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

Results are limited to the first 20 news articles due to potential performance issues.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2023-46233 vulnerability over time.

Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.

  • CVE Modified by af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108

    Nov. 21, 2024

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Reference https://github.com/brix/crypto-js/commit/421dd538b2d34e7c24a5b72cc64dc2b9167db40a
    Added Reference https://github.com/brix/crypto-js/security/advisories/GHSA-xwcq-pm8m-c4vf
    Added Reference https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/11/msg00025.html
  • CVE Modified by [email protected]

    May. 14, 2024

    Action Type Old Value New Value
  • CVE Modified by [email protected]

    Nov. 27, 2023

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Reference GitHub, Inc. https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/11/msg00025.html [No types assigned]
  • Initial Analysis by [email protected]

    Nov. 06, 2023

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added CVSS V3.1 NIST AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
    Changed Reference Type https://github.com/brix/crypto-js/commit/421dd538b2d34e7c24a5b72cc64dc2b9167db40a No Types Assigned https://github.com/brix/crypto-js/commit/421dd538b2d34e7c24a5b72cc64dc2b9167db40a Patch
    Changed Reference Type https://github.com/brix/crypto-js/security/advisories/GHSA-xwcq-pm8m-c4vf No Types Assigned https://github.com/brix/crypto-js/security/advisories/GHSA-xwcq-pm8m-c4vf Vendor Advisory
    Added CWE NIST CWE-327
    Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:a:crypto-js_project:crypto-js:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 4.2.0
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days. Following chart shows the EPSS score history of the vulnerability.
Vulnerability Scoring Details
Base CVSS Score: 9.1
Attack Vector
Attack Complexity
Privileges Required
User Interaction
Scope
Confidentiality Impact
Integrity Impact
Availability Impact
Exploit Prediction

EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days.

0.96 }} 0.10%

score

0.75480

percentile