jsonwebtoken unrestricted key type could lead to legacy keys usage
Overview
Versions <=8.5.1 of jsonwebtoken library could be misconfigured so that legacy, insecure key types are used for signature verification. For example, DSA keys could be used with the RS256 algorithm.
Am I affected?
You are affected if you are using an algorithm and a key type other than the combinations mentioned below
| Key type | algorithm |
|---|---|
| ec | ES256, ES384, ES512 |
| rsa | RS256, RS384, RS512, PS256, PS384, PS512 |
| rsa-pss | PS256, PS384, PS512 |
And for Elliptic Curve algorithms:
alg |
Curve |
|---|---|
| ES256 | prime256v1 |
| ES384 | secp384r1 |
| ES512 | secp521r1 |
How do I fix it?
Update to version 9.0.0. This version validates for asymmetric key type and algorithm combinations. Please refer to the above mentioned algorithm / key type combinations for the valid secure configuration. After updating to version 9.0.0, If you still intend to continue with signing or verifying tokens using invalid key type/algorithm value combinations, you’ll need to set the allowInvalidAsymmetricKeyTypes option to true in the sign() and/or verify() functions.
Will the fix impact my users?
There will be no impact, if you update to version 9.0.0 and you already use a valid secure combination of key type and algorithm. Otherwise, use the allowInvalidAsymmetricKeyTypes option to true in the sign() and verify() functions to continue usage of invalid key type/algorithm combination in 9.0.0 for legacy compatibility.
Affected software
Click a technology to see all vulnerabilities affecting it.
| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| npm package | jsonwebtoken | < 9.0.0 | 9.0.0 |
References
- https://github.com/auth0/node-jsonwebtoken/security/advisories/GHSA-8cf7-32gw-wr33
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-23539
- https://github.com/auth0/node-jsonwebtoken/commit/e1fa9dcc12054a8681db4e6373da1b30cf7016e3
- https://github.com/auth0/node-jsonwebtoken
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20240621-0007
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-327- Platform
- npm
- Package
jsonwebtoken- Disclosed
- 22.12.2022
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 10:22
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-8cf7-32gw-wr33 - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: jsonwebtoken
All published vulnerabilities of this package (npm package), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 4
- First → latest
- 10.2018 12.2022
- Without a fix
- 0
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- Critical 1
- High 1
- Medium 2
Disclosures per year
- 2018: 1
- 2019: 0
- 2020: 0
- 2021: 0
- 2022: 3
- 2023: 0
- 2024: 0
- 2025: 0
- 2026: 0
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jsonwebtoken unrestricted key type could lead to legacy keys usage this entry
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