What is CVE-2024-1631?

CVE-2024-1631 is a critical-severity use of insufficiently random values vulnerability in @dfinity/identity (npm), affecting versions >= 0.20.0-beta.0, < 1.0.1. It is fixed in 1.0.1. Security-sensitive operations rely on values that are predictable or insufficiently random.

How severe is CVE-2024-1631?

CVE-2024-1631 has a CVSS score of 9.1 (Critical). 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-2024-1631?

@dfinity/identity (npm) versions >= 0.20.0-beta.0, = 0.20.0-beta.0, < 1.0.1.

Is there a fix for CVE-2024-1631?

Yes. CVE-2024-1631 is fixed in 1.0.1. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is CVE-2024-1631 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2024-1631 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-2024-1631 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-2024-1631?

Upgrade: @dfinity/identity to 1.0.1 or later, @dfinity/auth-client to 1.0.1 or later.

CVE-2024-1631 in @dfinity/identity

Q: How severe is CVE-2024-1631?

CVE-2024-1631 has a CVSS score of 9.1 (Critical). 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-2024-1631?

@dfinity/identity (npm) versions >= 0.20.0-beta.0, = 0.20.0-beta.0, < 1.0.1.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2024-1631?

Yes. CVE-2024-1631 is fixed in 1.0.1. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is CVE-2024-1631 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2024-1631 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-2024-1631 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-2024-1631?

Upgrade: @dfinity/identity to 1.0.1 or later, @dfinity/auth-client to 1.0.1 or later.

Summary

agent-js: Insecure Key Generation in Ed25519KeyIdentity.generate

Workarounds

Developers

The recommended fix is to upgrade the package to the patched version. If that is not possible, there are couple of workarounds to handle the insecure key generation.

Invoking the function as Ed25519KeyIdentity.generate(null) would fix the broken conditional evaluation and force the function to generate a securely random seed. However, this is not guaranteed to work for future upgrades.
Passing a securely generated randomness as a seed to Ed25519KeyIdentity.generate would force the library to use it as the seed to generate the key pair.

Users

Removing a controller of a canister if it's the affected principal

For all canisters you control, fetch the controllers of the canisters using

dfx canister info --ic <CANISTER>

If you see the principal 535yc-uxytb-gfk7h-tny7p-vjkoe-i4krp-3qmcl-uqfgr-cpgej-yqtjq-rqe as one of the controllers, follow the steps below

dfx identity whoami # record CURRENT_IDENTITY

dfx identity new <NEW_IDENTITY_NAME> 
dfx identity use <NEW_IDENTITY_NAME> 
dfx identity get-principal <NEW_IDENTITY_NAME> # record NEW_IDENTITY_PRINCIPAL

dfx identity use <CURRENT_IDENTITY>
dfx canister update-settings --ic <CANISTER> --add-controller <NEW_IDENTITY_PRINCIPAL>
dfx canister update-settings --ic <CANISTER> --remove-controller `535yc-uxytb-gfk7h-tny7p-vjkoe-i4krp-3qmcl-uqfgr-cpgej-yqtjq-rqe`

For more details on canister management, please visit here

Checking funds on wallets / ledgers

If you have funds on ledgers using a browser wallet, please check if the account principal matches 535yc-uxytb-gfk7h-tny7p-vjkoe-i4krp-3qmcl-uqfgr-cpgej-yqtjq-rqe. If it does, please create a new account and transfer the funds to the new account immediately.

References

Impact

The library offers a function to generate an ed25519 key pair via Ed25519KeyIdentity.generate with an optional param to provide a 32 byte seed value, which will then be used as the secret key. When no seed value is provided, it is expected that the library generates the secret key using secure randomness. However, a recent change broke this guarantee and uses an insecure seed for key pair generation.

Since the private key of this identity (535yc-uxytb-gfk7h-tny7p-vjkoe-i4krp-3qmcl-uqfgr-cpgej-yqtjq-rqe) is compromised, one could lose funds associated with the principal on ledgers or lose access to a canister where this principal is the controller. Users are asked to take proactive measures mentioned below in Workarounds:Users to protect their assets.

Security-sensitive operations rely on values that are predictable or insufficiently random. Typical impact: forged tokens, guessable identifiers, or broken cryptographic protocols.

CVE-2024-1631 has a CVSS score of 9.1 (Critical). 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 (1.0.1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

@dfinity/identity (>= 0.20.0-beta.0, < 1.0.1) @dfinity/auth-client (>= 0.20.0-beta.0, < 1.0.1)

Security releases

@dfinity/identity → 1.0.1 (npm) @dfinity/auth-client → 1.0.1 (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

Patch for the vulnerability is available in v1.0.1 for all the packages listed in the advisory. Please upgrade and deploy your canisters immediately.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2024-1631? CVE-2024-1631 is a critical-severity use of insufficiently random values vulnerability in @dfinity/identity (npm), affecting versions >= 0.20.0-beta.0, < 1.0.1. It is fixed in 1.0.1. Security-sensitive operations rely on values that are predictable or insufficiently random.
How severe is CVE-2024-1631? CVE-2024-1631 has a CVSS score of 9.1 (Critical). 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-2024-1631?
- @dfinity/identity (npm) (versions >= 0.20.0-beta.0, < 1.0.1)
- @dfinity/auth-client (npm) (versions >= 0.20.0-beta.0, < 1.0.1)
Is there a fix for CVE-2024-1631? Yes. CVE-2024-1631 is fixed in 1.0.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is CVE-2024-1631 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2024-1631 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-2024-1631 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-2024-1631?
- Upgrade @dfinity/identity to 1.0.1 or later
- Upgrade @dfinity/auth-client to 1.0.1 or later