CVE-2023-46233: 
JavaScript vulnerability analysis and mitigation

The crypto-js library, prior to version 4.2.0, contained a critical security vulnerability (CVE-2023-46233) in its PBKDF2 implementation. The vulnerability made the implementation 1,000 times weaker than originally specified in 1993 and approximately 1.3 million times weaker than current industry standards. This weakness stemmed from two critical issues: using SHA1 (considered insecure since 2005) as the default hash algorithm and defaulting to a single iteration instead of the recommended 1,000 iterations from 1993 (GitHub Advisory).

The vulnerability exists in the PBKDF2 (Password-Based Key Derivation Function 2) implementation, which is used for key derivation and password storage. The default configuration used SHA1 as the hashing algorithm and only one iteration, significantly weakening its cryptographic strength. For comparison, OWASP currently recommends 1.3 million iterations. The weakness affects all versions of crypto-js prior to 4.2.0, making it particularly severe given the library's widespread use with over 10,642 public users on NPM (GitHub Advisory).

The vulnerability's impact is considered high, particularly when used for password protection or signature generation. For approximately $45,000, an attacker with control of only the beginning of a crypto-js PBKDF2 input could create values with identical cryptographic signatures to any chosen known value. Due to SHA1's length extension attack vulnerability, this remains true even when salt or pepper is applied to the input (GitHub Advisory).

The vulnerability has been patched in version 4.2.0 of crypto-js. For users unable to upgrade, the recommended workaround is to configure crypto-js to use SHA256 with at least 250,000 iterations, following the OWASP PBKDF2 Cheatsheet recommendations (GitHub Advisory, NVD).

The vulnerability was simultaneously disclosed to crypto-js and crypto-es on October 23, 2023. Various Linux distributions have responded with security updates, including Debian which issued an advisory (DLA 3669-1) addressing the vulnerability by changing default settings to use SHA256 with 250,000 iterations (Debian Advisory).