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The vulnerability CVE-2025-12816 is an Interpretation Conflict in the node-forge library’s ASN.1 parser. The flaw exists because the `asn1.validate` function uses static schemas to validate DER-encoded ASN.1 data structures, which are fundamental to formats like X.509 certificates and PKCS7/CMS messages. An attacker can craft a malicious ASN.1 object that exploits the validation of optional fields. By creating a malformed optional field, the validator can be desynchronized, causing it to misinterpret the subsequent mandatory data structure. This semantic divergence means the validator might skip a critical field, like a signature or a MAC, or misinterpret a field’s data type. Consequently, downstream cryptographic operations that rely on the validator’s output, such as signature verification or integrity checks in PKCS12, are fed incorrect data, allowing an attacker to bypass these security mechanisms entirely by making the application validate against attacker-controlled data instead of the legitimate signed content.
Platform: Node.js
Version: <=1.3.1
Vulnerability: Validation Bypass
Severity: Critical
date: 2025-03-10
Prediction: 2025-03-24
What Undercode Say:
`npm list node-forge`
`grep -r “forge.asn1” .`
`node -e “console.log(require(‘forge/lib/asn1.js’))”`
How Exploit:
Craft malicious ASN.1 DER.
Target optional field parsing.
Desynchronize schema validator.
Bypass signature/MAC checks.
Protection from this CVE
Upgrade to 1.3.2.
Sanitize ASN.1 inputs.
Monitor for advisories.
Impact:
Bypass cryptographic verification.
Compromise integrity/confidentiality.
Affects X.509/PKCS7/PKCS12.
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Sources:
Reported By: github.com
Extra Source Hub:
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