What is CVE-2020-4045?

CVE-2020-4045 is a high-severity security vulnerability in ssb-db (npm), affecting versions = 20.0.0. It is fixed in 20.0.1.

How severe is CVE-2020-4045?

CVE-2020-4045 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). 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 ssb-db are affected by CVE-2020-4045?

ssb-db (npm) versions = 20.0.0 is affected.

Is there a fix for CVE-2020-4045?

Yes. CVE-2020-4045 is fixed in 20.0.1. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is CVE-2020-4045 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2020-4045 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.

What actually determines whether CVE-2020-4045 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-2020-4045?

Upgrade ssb-db to 20.0.1 or later.

CVE-2020-4045 in ssb-db

Summary

Information disclosure in SSB-DB

Workarounds

Is there a way for users to fix or remediate the vulnerability without upgrading?

You may be able to disable the most obvious attack vector, SSB-OOO, by disabling the plugin, but you should upgrade immediately anyway.

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory, open an issue in SSB-DB

Impact

What kind of vulnerability is it? Who is impacted?

Servers running SSB-DB 20.0.0 (which is packaged with SSB-Server 16.0.0) must upgrade immediately.

There is no evidence that other SSB apps are vulnerable or that this problem has been exploited in the wild.

The get() method is supposed to only decrypt messages when you explicitly ask it to, but there's a bug where it's decrypting any message that it can. This means that it's returning the decrypted content of private messages, which a malicious peer could use to get access to private data. This only affects peers running [email protected] who also have private messages, and is only known to be exploitable if you're also running SSB-OOO (default in SSB-Server), which exposes a thin wrapper around get() to anonymous peers.

CVE-2020-4045 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. 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 (20.0.1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

ssb-db (= 20.0.0)

Security releases

ssb-db → 20.0.1 (npm)

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.

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Remediation advice

Has the problem been patched? What versions should users upgrade to?

Yes, please upgrade to SSB-DB 20.0.1 (or SSB-Server 16.0.1) immediately.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-4045? CVE-2020-4045 is a high-severity security vulnerability in ssb-db (npm), affecting versions = 20.0.0. It is fixed in 20.0.1.
How severe is CVE-2020-4045? CVE-2020-4045 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). 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 ssb-db are affected by CVE-2020-4045? ssb-db (npm) versions = 20.0.0 is affected.
Is there a fix for CVE-2020-4045? Yes. CVE-2020-4045 is fixed in 20.0.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is CVE-2020-4045 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2020-4045 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-2020-4045 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-2020-4045? Upgrade ssb-db to 20.0.1 or later.