How severe is CVE-2021-29444?

CVE-2021-29444 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.9, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with high attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity none, and availability none.

Is CVE-2021-29444 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (66th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2021-29444?

CVE-2021-29444 affects Jose-node-cjs-runtime Project Jose-node-cjs-runtime. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2021-29444?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2021-29444 published?

CVE-2021-29444 was published on 2021-04-16 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2021-29444

CVE-2021-29444 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Jose-node-cjs-runtime Project Jose-node-cjs-runtime with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.9. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-203.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.9)
CVSS v2: 4.3
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (66th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-203
Affected product: Jose-node-cjs-runtime Project Jose-node-cjs-runtime
Published: 2021-04-16
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

jose-browser-runtime is an npm package which provides a number of cryptographic functions. In versions prior to 3.11.4 the AES_CBC_HMAC_SHA2 Algorithm (A128CBC-HS256, A192CBC-HS384, A256CBC-HS512) decryption would always execute both HMAC tag verification and CBC decryption, if either failed `JWEDecryptionFailed` would be thrown. But a possibly observable difference in timing when padding error would occur while decrypting the ciphertext makes a padding oracle and an adversary might be able to make use of that oracle to decrypt data without knowing the decryption key by issuing on average 128*b calls to the padding oracle (where b is the number of bytes in the ciphertext block). A patch was released which ensures the HMAC tag is verified before performing CBC decryption. The fixed versions are `>=3.11.4`. Users should upgrade to `^3.11.4`.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-29444?: jose-browser-runtime is an npm package which provides a number of cryptographic functions. In versions prior to 3.11.4 the AES_CBC_HMAC_SHA2 Algorithm (A128CBC-HS256, A192CBC-HS384, A256CBC-HS512) decryption would always execute both HMAC tag verification and CBC decryption, if either failed `JWEDecryptionFailed` would be thrown. But a possibly observable difference in timing when padding error would occur while decrypting the ciphertext makes a padding oracle and an adversary might be able to make use of that oracle to decrypt data without knowing the decryption key by issuing on average 128*b calls to the padding oracle (where b is the number of bytes in the ciphertext block). A patch was released which ensures the HMAC tag is verified before performing CBC decryption. The fixed versions are `>=3.11.4`. Users should upgrade to `^3.11.4`.
How severe is CVE-2021-29444?: CVE-2021-29444 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.9, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with high attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity none, and availability none.
Is CVE-2021-29444 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (66th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-29444?: CVE-2021-29444 affects Jose-node-cjs-runtime Project Jose-node-cjs-runtime. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-29444?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2021-29444 published?: CVE-2021-29444 was published on 2021-04-16 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:jose-node-cjs-runtime_project:jose-node-cjs-runtime:*:*:*:*:*:node.js:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Jose-node-cjs-runtime Project Jose-node-cjs-runtime

CVE-2021-29446 — Medium (CVSS 5.9): jose-node-cjs-runtime is an npm package which provides a number of cryptographic functions. In versions prior to 3.11.4…
CVE-2021-29445 — Medium (CVSS 5.9): jose-node-esm-runtime is an npm package which provides a number of cryptographic functions. In versions prior to 3.11.4…

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