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GHSA-x2g5-fvc2-gqvp
No affected components available
Description
The default bcrypt salt rounds is set to 5, which is below the recommended minimum for security.
Affected Code
export function getHash(value: string) {
const salt = bcrypt.genSaltSync(parseInt(process.env.PASSWORD_SALT_HASH_ROUNDS || '5'))
return bcrypt.hashSync(value, salt)
}
Evidence
Using 5 salt rounds provides 2^5 = 32 iterations, which is far below the OWASP recommendation of 10 (2^10 = 1024 iterations) for bcrypt. This makes password hashes vulnerable to brute-force attacks with modern hardware.
Impact
Faster password cracking - in the event of database compromise, attackers can crack password hashes significantly faster than with proper salt rounds, potentially compromising all user accounts.
Recommendation
Increase default PASSWORD_SALT_HASH_ROUNDS to at least 10 (recommended by OWASP). Consider using 12 for better security-performance balance. Document that higher values increase login time but improve security.
Notes
The default bcrypt salt rounds is 5 (line 6), which provides only 2^5=32 iterations. OWASP recommends minimum 10 rounds (1024 iterations) for bcrypt. While configurable via PASSWORD_SALT_HASH_ROUNDS env var, the default matters because: (1) most deployments use defaults, (2) existing password hashes at 5 rounds remain vulnerable even if later increased. With modern GPUs, 5 rounds allows ~300,000 hashes/second vs ~10,000/second at 10 rounds - a 30x difference in cracking speed. In a database breach scenario, all user passwords could be cracked significantly faster. The same weak default is used in resetPassword (account.service.ts:568). This is a cryptographic weakness with real-world impact on password security.
Detection Method: Kolega.dev Deep Code Scan
| Attribute | Value | |---|---| | Severity | Medium | | CWE | CWE-916 (Use of Password Hash With Insufficient Computational Effort) | | Location | packages/server/src/enterprise/utils/encryption.util.ts:5-7 | | Practical Exploitability | Medium | | Developer Approver | faizan@kolega.ai |
The vulnerability requires local access to the device to be exploited. It is difficult for an attacker to exploit this vulnerability and may require special conditions. An attacker needs high-level or administrative privileges. No user interaction is needed for the attacker to exploit this vulnerability. The impact is confined to the system where the vulnerability exists. There is a high impact on the confidentiality of the information.
Limited exploitation activity has been observed. Close monitoring and planned remediation are recommended.
The exploit probability is very low. The vulnerability is unlikely to be exploited in the next 30 days.
We did not find any exploit available. Neither in GitHub repositories nor in the Exploit-Database.
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