What is CVE-2023-50728?

CVE-2023-50728 is a high-severity security vulnerability in @octokit/webhooks (npm), affecting versions < 9.26.3. It is fixed in 9.26.3, 10.9.2, 11.1.2, 12.0.3, 14.0.2, 3.1.2, 12.3.3.

How severe is CVE-2023-50728?

CVE-2023-50728 has a CVSS score of 8.2 (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 packages are affected by CVE-2023-50728?

@octokit/webhooks (npm) versions < 9.26.3; @octokit/app (npm) versions = 14.0.1; octokit (npm) versions < 3.1.2; probot (npm) versions < 12.3.3.

Is there a fix for CVE-2023-50728?

Yes. CVE-2023-50728 is fixed in 9.26.3, 10.9.2, 11.1.2, 12.0.3, 14.0.2, 3.1.2, 12.3.3. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is CVE-2023-50728 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2023-50728 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-2023-50728 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-2023-50728?

Upgrade: @octokit/webhooks to 9.26.3 or later, @octokit/webhooks to 10.9.2 or later, @octokit/webhooks to 11.1.2 or later, @octokit/webhooks to 12.0.3 or later, @octokit/app to 14.0.2 or later, octokit to 3.1.2 or later, probot to 12.3.3 or later.

CVE-2023-50728 in @octokit/webhooks

Q: How severe is CVE-2023-50728?

CVE-2023-50728 has a CVSS score of 8.2 (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.

Q: Which packages are affected by CVE-2023-50728?

@octokit/webhooks (npm) versions < 9.26.3; @octokit/app (npm) versions = 14.0.1; octokit (npm) versions < 3.1.2; probot (npm) versions < 12.3.3.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2023-50728?

Yes. CVE-2023-50728 is fixed in 9.26.3, 10.9.2, 11.1.2, 12.0.3, 14.0.2, 3.1.2, 12.3.3. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is CVE-2023-50728 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2023-50728 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.

Q: What actually determines whether CVE-2023-50728 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.

Q: How do I fix CVE-2023-50728?

Upgrade: @octokit/webhooks to 9.26.3 or later, @octokit/webhooks to 10.9.2 or later, @octokit/webhooks to 11.1.2 or later, @octokit/webhooks to 12.0.3 or later, @octokit/app to 14.0.2 or later, octokit to 3.1.2 or later, probot to 12.3.3 or later.

Summary

Unauthenticated Denial of Service in the octokit/webhooks library

Workarounds

It is recommend that all users upgrade to the latest version of octokit/webhooks.js or use one of the updated back ported versions.

Impact

Versions v9.26.0, v10.9.x), v11.1.x, v12.0.x all contained the code that would throw the error.

Specifically, during a pentest we encountered a bug in the octokit/webhooks library (a dependency of Probot, a framework for building Github Apps). The resulting request was found to cause an uncaught exception that ends the nodejs process.

The problem is caused by an issue with error handling in the @octokit/webhooks library because the error can be undefined in some cases.

Credit goes to @pb82 (for the early analysis) and @rh-tguittet (for discovery).

CVE-2023-50728 has a CVSS score of 8.2 (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 (9.26.3, 10.9.2, 11.1.2, 12.0.3, 14.0.2, 3.1.2, 12.3.3); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

@octokit/webhooks (< 9.26.3) @octokit/webhooks (>= 10.0.0, < 10.9.2) @octokit/webhooks (>= 11.0.0, < 11.1.2) @octokit/webhooks (>= 12.0.0, < 12.0.3) @octokit/app (= 14.0.1) octokit (< 3.1.2) probot (< 12.3.3)

Security releases

@octokit/webhooks → 9.26.3 (npm) @octokit/webhooks → 10.9.2 (npm) @octokit/webhooks → 11.1.2 (npm) @octokit/webhooks → 12.0.3 (npm) @octokit/app → 14.0.2 (npm) octokit → 3.1.2 (npm) probot → 12.3.3 (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

Maintenance releases for the Error being thrown by the verify method in octokit/webhooks.js

v12 - v12.0.4
v11 - v11.1.2
v10 -v10.9.2
v9 - v9.26.3

Maintenance release for the reference for octokit/webhooks.js in app.js

v14.0.2

Maintenance release for the reference for octokit/webhooks.js in octokit.js

v3.1.2

Maintenance release for the reference for octokit/webhooks.js in Protobot

v12.3.3

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-50728? CVE-2023-50728 is a high-severity security vulnerability in @octokit/webhooks (npm), affecting versions < 9.26.3. It is fixed in 9.26.3, 10.9.2, 11.1.2, 12.0.3, 14.0.2, 3.1.2, 12.3.3.
How severe is CVE-2023-50728? CVE-2023-50728 has a CVSS score of 8.2 (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 packages are affected by CVE-2023-50728?
- @octokit/webhooks (npm) (versions < 9.26.3)
- @octokit/app (npm) (versions = 14.0.1)
- octokit (npm) (versions < 3.1.2)
- probot (npm) (versions < 12.3.3)
Is there a fix for CVE-2023-50728? Yes. CVE-2023-50728 is fixed in 9.26.3, 10.9.2, 11.1.2, 12.0.3, 14.0.2, 3.1.2, 12.3.3. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is CVE-2023-50728 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-50728 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-2023-50728 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-2023-50728?
- Upgrade @octokit/webhooks to 9.26.3 or later
- Upgrade @octokit/webhooks to 10.9.2 or later
- Upgrade @octokit/webhooks to 11.1.2 or later
- Upgrade @octokit/webhooks to 12.0.3 or later
- Upgrade @octokit/app to 14.0.2 or later
- Upgrade octokit to 3.1.2 or later
- Upgrade probot to 12.3.3 or later