jsonwebtoken's insecure implementation of key retrieval function could lead to Forgeable Public/Private Tokens from RSA to HMAC

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

5.0 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L

EPSS

• CVE-2022-23541: 0.81% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 56.95 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Overview Versions <=8.5.1 of jsonwebtoken library can be misconfigured so that passing a poorly implemented key retrieval function (referring to the secretOrPublicKey argument from the readme link) will result in incorrect verification of tokens. There is a possibility of using a different algorithm and key combination in verification than the one that was used to sign the tokens. Specifically, tokens signed with an asymmetric public key could be verified with a symmetric HS256 algorithm. This can lead to successful validation of forged tokens. Am I affected? You will be affected if your application is supporting usage of both symmetric key and asymmetric key in jwt.verify() implementation with the same key retrieval function. How do I fix it? Update to version 9.0.0. Will the fix impact my users? There is no impact for end users

Published by the source

22 Dec 2022, 03:33 UTC

Last modified by the source

24 Jun 2024, 21:24 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 12:30 UTC

1. Revision 2 · amended · 26 Oct 2026

   Amended from ghsa record GHSA-hjrf-2m68-5959

2. Revision 1 · created · 24 Oct 2026

   Published from osv record GHSA-hjrf-2m68-5959

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2022-23541

Advisory: jsonwebtoken's insecure implementation of key retrieval function could lead to Forgeable Public/Private Tokens from RSA to HMAC
IDs: CVE-2022-23541, GHSA-hjrf-2m68-5959
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2022-23541 (revision 2, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 12:30 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Medium (CVSS 5.0)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: jsonwebtoken 9.0.0. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- npm jsonwebtoken: affected <= 8.5.1; fixed in 9.0.0

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- `npm ls jsonwebtoken --all`: lists every installed copy and version, including transitive ones. Run in the project root after `npm ci`.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on jsonwebtoken.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-hjrf-2m68-5959 (OSV record GHSA-hjrf-2m68-5959 lists affected ranges: npm jsonwebtoken >=0 <9.0.0 (fixed))
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-hjrf-2m68-5959 (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-hjrf-2m68-5959 lists affected ranges: npm jsonwebtoken >=0 <=8.5.1)

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