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Critical, CVSS 9.1amended

crypto-js PBKDF2 1,000 times weaker than specified in 1993 and 1.3M times weaker than current standard

CVE-2023-46233GHSA-xwcq-pm8m-c4vf

What to do

Vendor fix available. Upgrade each affected package to the fixed version on its release line (crypto-js 4.2.0), redeploy, then verify what is actually installed.

This page has no inventory attached, so it cannot say whether you are affected. A vendor fix is not proof that your deployment is fixed.

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Affected packages

Sources

Severity and exploitation
Exploitation
No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.
CVSS
9.1 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
EPSS
  • CVE-2023-46233: 0.64% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 50.71 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.
Source description

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Impact Summary Crypto-js PBKDF2 is 1,000 times weaker than originally specified in 1993, and [at least 1,300,000 times weaker than current industry standard][OWASP PBKDF2 Cheatsheet]. This is because it both (1) defaults to [SHA1][SHA1 wiki], a cryptographic hash algorithm considered insecure [since at least 2005][Cryptanalysis of SHA-1] and (2) defaults to [one single iteration][one iteration src], a 'strength' or 'difficulty' value specified at 1,000 when specified in 1993. PBKDF2 relies on iteration count as a countermeasure to [preimage][preimage attack] and [collision][collision attack] attacks. Potential Impact: 1. If used to protect passwords, the impact is high. 2. If used to generate signatures, the impact is high. Probability / risk analysis / attack enumeration: 1. [For at most $45,000][SHA1 is a Shambles], an attacker, given control of only the beginning of a crypto-js PBKDF2 input, can create a value which has identical cryptographic signature to any chosen known value.…

Dates and revisions
Published by the source
Last modified by the source
Source last checked
  1. Revision 2 · amended ·

    Amended from ghsa record GHSA-xwcq-pm8m-c4vf

  2. Revision 1 · created ·

    Published from osv record GHSA-xwcq-pm8m-c4vf

Agent brief

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2023-46233

Advisory: crypto-js PBKDF2 1,000 times weaker than specified in 1993 and 1.3M times weaker than current standard
IDs: CVE-2023-46233, GHSA-xwcq-pm8m-c4vf
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2023-46233 (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: Critical (CVSS 9.1)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: crypto-js 4.2.0. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- npm crypto-js: affected < 4.2.0; fixed in 4.2.0

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- `npm ls crypto-js --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 crypto-js.
- 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-xwcq-pm8m-c4vf (OSV record GHSA-xwcq-pm8m-c4vf lists affected ranges: npm crypto-js >=0 <4.2.0 (fixed))
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-xwcq-pm8m-c4vf (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-xwcq-pm8m-c4vf lists affected ranges: npm crypto-js >=0 <4.2.0)

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