NodeBB account takeover via SSO plugins
This is a historical security advisory, pertaining to a vulnerability that was reported, patched, and published in 2021. It is listed here for completeness and for CVE tracking purposes.
Impact
Due to an unnecessarily strict conditional in the code handling the first step of the SSO process, the pre-existing logic that added (and later checked) a nonce was inadvertently rendered opt-in instead of opt-out.
This re-exposed a vulnerability in that a specially crafted MITM attack could theoretically take over another user account during the single sign-on process.
Patches
The issue has been fully patched as of v1.17.2.
The patch commit can be found at https://github.com/NodeBB/NodeBB/commit/a2400f6baff44cb2996487bcd0cc6e2acc74b3d4
Workarounds
Site maintainers can cherry-pick https://github.com/NodeBB/NodeBB/commit/a2400f6baff44cb2996487bcd0cc6e2acc74b3d4 into their codebase to patch the exploit.
References
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Discuss it on our community forum
- Email us at support@nodebb.org
Affected software
Click a technology to see all vulnerabilities affecting it.
| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| npm package | nodebb | < 1.17.2 | 1.17.2 |
References
- https://github.com/NodeBB/NodeBB/security/advisories/GHSA-xmgg-fx9p-prq6
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-36076
- https://github.com/NodeBB/NodeBB/commit/a2400f6baff44cb2996487bcd0cc6e2acc74b3d4
- https://blogs.opera.com/security/2022/03/bug-bounty-adventures-a-nodebb-0-day
- https://github.com/NodeBB/NodeBB
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-352- Platform
- npm
- Package
nodebb- Disclosed
- 16.09.2022
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 10:22
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-xmgg-fx9p-prq6 - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: nodebb
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
- 14
- First → latest
- 05.2019 08.2025
- Without a fix
- 1
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- Critical 5
- High 2
- Medium 7
Disclosures per year
- 2019: 1
- 2020: 0
- 2021: 3
- 2022: 5
- 2023: 2
- 2024: 1
- 2025: 2
- 2026: 0
-
NodeBB account takeover via SSO plugins this entry
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