Overview
CVE-2023-49551 presents a significant cybersecurity threat with a potential for system compromise or data leakage. This vulnerability specifically affects Cesanta mjs 2.20.0, a lightweight JavaScript engine for embedded systems. It provides an avenue for remote attackers to induce a denial of service (DoS) condition, thereby disrupting operations and potentially causing loss of service availability.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2023-49551
Severity: High – 7.5 CVSS Score
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: Successful exploitation can lead to a system compromise or potential data leakage.
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Cesanta mjs | 2.20.0
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability resides in the mjs_op_json_parse function in the mjs.c file of Cesanta mjs 2.20.0. A remote attacker can exploit this issue by sending a specially crafted request that the function fails to process correctly. This leads to a denial of service and potential system compromise or data leakage.
Conceptual Example Code
Below is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. This is a simplified example and real-world attacks might be more complex and sophisticated.
POST /mjs_op_json_parse HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/json
{ "malicious_json": "{...malformed json data...}" }
In this example, the `{…malformed json data…}` represents a malicious payload designed to exploit the vulnerability in the mjs_op_json_parse function.
Mitigation
Users of Cesanta mjs 2.20.0 are advised to apply the vendor’s patch as soon as it becomes available. In the meantime, the use of a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can provide temporary mitigation against potential attacks exploiting this vulnerability.

