GHSA-CC4F-HJPJ-G9P8

Detection Method: Kolega.dev Deep Code Scan

Description

JWT secrets have weak hardcoded defaults ('auth_token', 'refresh_token', 'AUDIENCE', 'ISSUER'). Attackers can forge valid JWTs and impersonate any user.

Affected Code

const jwtAudience = process.env.JWT_AUDIENCE || 'AUDIENCE'
const jwtIssuer = process.env.JWT_ISSUER || 'ISSUER'
const jwtAuthTokenSecret = process.env.JWT_AUTH_TOKEN_SECRET || 'auth_token'
const jwtRefreshSecret = process.env.JWT_REFRESH_TOKEN_SECRET || process.env.JWT_AUTH_TOKEN_SECRET || 'refresh_token'

Evidence

All JWT defaults are weak strings. Refresh token falls back to auth token which is a design flaw. If any environment variable is unset, weak default is used.

Notes

The JWT secrets have genuinely weak hardcoded defaults ('auth_token', 'refresh_token', 'AUDIENCE', 'ISSUER') at lines 29-34. If an administrator deploys without setting the environment variables JWT_AUTH_TOKEN_SECRET, JWT_REFRESH_TOKEN_SECRET, JWT_AUDIENCE, and JWT_ISSUER, the application will use these trivially guessable values. An attacker knowing these defaults (which are publicly visible in the source code) can forge valid JWTs to impersonate any user, including administrators. The fallback chain at line 34 where jwtRefreshSecret falls back to jwtAuthTokenSecret is an additional design weakness - if only JWT_AUTH_TOKEN_SECRET is set, both tokens share the same secret. While .env.example files provide placeholder values, these are also weak and publicly visible. The application should fail to start if these secrets are not explicitly configured with strong values, rather than silently falling back to insecure defaults.

Complete authentication bypass. Attackers can forge valid JWTs for any user account. No authentication required to access protected endpoints. Can escalate to admin access.

The application uses a cryptographic algorithm known to have weaknesses, such as MD5, SHA-1, or DES. Typical impact: compromised confidentiality or integrity of protected data.

GHSA-CC4F-HJPJ-G9P8 has a CVSS score of 5.6 (Medium). The vector is requires local access, high 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 (3.1.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

Remove all default secrets - require all JWT environment variables to be explicitly set. Add startup validation throwing error if any JWT secret is missing. Use cryptographically random secrets (256+ bits) for each secret independently. Implement JWT secret rotation mechanism.

1. What is GHSA-CC4F-HJPJ-G9P8? GHSA-CC4F-HJPJ-G9P8 is a medium-severity use of a broken or risky cryptographic algorithm vulnerability in flowise (npm), affecting versions <= 3.0.13. It is fixed in 3.1.0. The application uses a cryptographic algorithm known to have weaknesses, such as MD5, SHA-1, or DES.
2. How severe is GHSA-CC4F-HJPJ-G9P8? GHSA-CC4F-HJPJ-G9P8 has a CVSS score of 5.6 (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.
3. Which versions of flowise are affected by GHSA-CC4F-HJPJ-G9P8? flowise (npm) versions <= 3.0.13 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for GHSA-CC4F-HJPJ-G9P8? Yes. GHSA-CC4F-HJPJ-G9P8 is fixed in 3.1.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is GHSA-CC4F-HJPJ-G9P8 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-CC4F-HJPJ-G9P8 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
6. What actually determines whether GHSA-CC4F-HJPJ-G9P8 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.
7. How do I fix GHSA-CC4F-HJPJ-G9P8? Upgrade flowise to 3.1.0 or later.