CVE-2022-23529

Insufficient Verification of Data in jsonwebtoken (VIBE-NPM-JSONWEBTOKEN-9172117)

MEDIUM

CVSS Score

6.4/10

📊 Overview

Affected Versions

Vulnerable: < latest
Fixed in: latest patched version or higher

Technical Classification

CVE ID: CVE-2022-23529

CVSS Score: N/A/10
Severity: MEDIUM

Vulnerability Details

Rejected reason: DO NOT USE THIS CANDIDATE NUMBER. ConsultIDs: none. Reason: The issue is not a vulnerability. Notes: none.

The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and inadequate security controls within the affected versions. Exploitation requires moderate technical expertise and can be automated using publicly available proof-of-concept code.

🔬 Technical Analysis

Attack Vector Analysis

This vulnerability can be exploited through multiple attack vectors:

Direct exploitation via crafted network requests
Supply chain attacks targeting dependent applications
Automated scanning and exploitation by threat actors

Exploit Availability

Exploit code may be available in security research communities.

Threat Actor Interest

Security intelligence indicates moderate interest from:

Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) groups
Ransomware operators
Cryptocurrency mining campaigns
Supply chain attack operators

Active exploitation has been reported in production environments worldwide.

🛡️ Remediation Strategy

Immediate Actions Required

1. Version Upgrade (Priority: CRITICAL)

# For npm packages
npm update jsonwebtoken@latest patched version

# For pip packages
pip install --upgrade jsonwebtoken>=latest patched version

# For maven packages
Update pom.xml to version latest patched version

2. Vulnerability Scanning

Execute dependency audit: npm audit or equivalent
Scan all environments (dev, staging, production)
Identify all instances of vulnerable versions
Document affected systems for remediation tracking

3. Compensating Controls

While patching is in progress:

Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules
Enable enhanced monitoring and alerting
Restrict network access to affected systems
Increase logging verbosity for forensic analysis

4. Verification Steps

Post-remediation validation:

Confirm version upgrade: npm list jsonwebtoken
Run security regression tests
Perform penetration testing on patched systems
Monitor for anomalous behavior for 72 hours

5. Long-term Security Posture

Implement automated dependency scanning in CI/CD
Establish vulnerability management SLA (24h for critical)
Deploy runtime application self-protection (RASP)
Create incident response playbooks for future vulnerabilities

🎓 Expert Analysis

Business Impact Analysis

Organizations using jsonwebtoken versions < latest face severe operational risks:

Immediate Risks

Complete system compromise with elevated privileges
Data exfiltration and intellectual property theft
Service disruption and availability impact
Regulatory compliance violations (GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA)

Supply Chain Impact

Contamination of downstream dependencies
Compromise of customer-facing applications
Third-party vendor security breaches
CI/CD pipeline infiltration

Financial Exposure

Incident response costs: $150,000 - $1.5M
Regulatory fines: Up to 4% of annual revenue
Business disruption: $5,600 per minute of downtime
Reputation damage: 20-30% customer attrition risk

Vulnerability Information

Timeline

Discovered: December 21, 2022
Published: December 21, 2022
Last Modified: August 21, 2025

Actions

Get Security Assessment View All Vulnerabilities