GHSA-5m6q-g25r-mvwx: Forge has Denial of Service via Infinite Loop in BigInteger.modInverse() with Zero Input
SummaryA Denial of Service (DoS) vulnerability exists in the node-forge library due to an infinite loop in the BigInteger.modInverse() function (inherited from the bundled jsbn library). When modInverse() is called with a zero value as input, the internal Extended Euclidean Algorithm enters an unreachable exit condition, causing the process to hang indefinitely and consume 100% CPU.
Affected PackagePackage name: node-forge (npm: node-forge)
Repository: https://github.com/digitalbazaar/forge
Affected versions: All versions (including latest)
Affected file: lib/jsbn.js, function bnModInverse()
Root cause component: Bundled copy of the jsbn (JavaScript Big Number) libraryVulnerability DetailsType: Denial of Service (DoS)
CWE: CWE-835 (Loop with Unreachable Exit Condition)
Attack vector: Network (if the application processes untrusted input that reaches modInverse)
Privileges required: None
User interaction: None
Impact: Availability (process hangs indefinitely)
Suggested CVSS v3.1 score: 5.3–7.5 (depending on the context of usage)Root Cause AnalysisThe BigInteger.prototype.modInverse(m) function in lib/jsbn.js implements the Extended Euclidean Algorithm to compute the modular multiplicative inverse of this modulo m.
Mathematically, the modular inverse of 0 does not exist — gcd(0, m) = m ≠ 1 for any m > 1. However, the implementation does not check whether the input value is zero before entering the algorithm's main loop. When this equals 0, the algorithm's loop condition is never satisfied for termination, resulting in an infinite loop.
The relevant code path in lib/jsbn.js:Attack ScenarioAny application using node-forge that passes attacker-controlled or untrusted input to a code path involving modInverse() is vulnerable. Potential attack surfaces include:DSA/ECDSA signature verification — A crafted signature with s = 0 would trigger s.modInverse(q), causing the verifier to hang.
Custom RSA or Diffie-Hellman implementations — Applications performing modular arithmetic with user-supplied parameters.
Any cryptographic protocol where an attacker can influence a value that is subsequently passed to modInverse().A single malicious request can cause the Node.js event loop to block indefinitely, rendering the entire application unresponsive.Proof of ConceptEnvironment SetupReproduction (poc.js)
A single script that safely detects the vulnerability using a child process with timeout. The parent process is never at risk of hanging.Expected Outputnode-forge v1.3.1 (latest at time of writing)
Node.js v18.x / v20.x / v22.x
macOS / Linux / WindowsImpactAvailability: An attacker can cause a complete Denial of Service by sending a single crafted input that reaches the modInverse() code path. The Node.js process will hang indefinitely, blocking the event loop and making the application unresponsive to all subsequent requests.
Scope: node-forge is a widely used cryptographic library with millions of weekly downloads on npm. Any application that processes untrusted cryptographic parameters through node-forge may be affected.Suggested FixAdd a zero-value check at the entry of bnModInverse() in lib/jsbn.js:Alternatively, return BigInteger.ZERO if that behavior is preferred, though throwing an error is more mathematically correct and consistent with other BigInteger implementations (e.g., Java's BigInteger.modInverse() throws ArithmeticException).
CVSS v3.1: 7.5