Security in open-source modules is vital—especially when those modules interact with powerful services like GitHub. In early 2023, a dangerous vulnerability was found in the popular nuxtlabs/github-module for Nuxt.js. This vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2023-2138, involves hard-coded credentials inside the module's code up until version 1.6.2, exposing sensitive tokens to anyone who installs or examines the source.

This post breaks down what happened, why it's dangerous, how to exploit it, steps to fix it, and how to check if your project is affected.

Description

Before version 1.6.2, nuxtlabs/github-module stored GitHub API tokens directly in the module’s source code (so-called "hard-coded credentials"). That means anyone using the module or browsing the source could find and use those credentials.

Why is that Bad?

- Public Exposure: Anyone could use the leaked GitHub token to read/write repos or even access private data.
- Abuse: Malicious users could automate spam actions, fork private stuff, or drain API rate limits.

Vulnerability Discovery

The issue was brought up on the GitHub advisory and tracked as CVE-2023-2138. Responsible disclosure and a quick patch led to a fix in version 1.6.2.

Below is a simplified version showing the vulnerable code, typical in affected versions

// github-module.js (pre-1.6.2 version)
module.exports = {
  github: {
    token: 'ghp_123456789abcdef123456789abcdef123456' // <-- Hard-coded token!
  }
};

What’s wrong?
Anyone can read that file, extract the token, and act as the developer/module.

`sh

grep -R 'ghp_' node_modules/@nuxt/github-module/

`sh

curl -H 'Authorization: token ghp_123456789abcdef...' https://api.github.com/user

`

If you get valid account/user data, the token is active.

The release notes for v1.6.2 state

> Security: Removed default hard-coded GitHub token. Tokens must now be provided via environment variables or Nuxt config.

Here’s how a fixed version should look

// github-module.js (1.6.2+)
module.exports = {
  github: {
    token: process.env.GITHUB_TOKEN // <-- Reads from environment variable
  }
};

Why is this better?

Upgrade Command

npm install @nuxt/github-module@latest

Or in package.json

"@nuxt/github-module": "^1.6.2"

Package version:

Run npm ls @nuxt/github-module.

Search for tokens:

Use grep or text search for ghp_ or token: in your node_modules/@nuxt/github-module directory.

References

- nuxtlabs/github-module repo
- CVE database: CVE-2023-2138
- npm security advisory
- How to Use .env in Node.js
- GitHub's guide to keeping secrets safe

Conclusion

CVE-2023-2138 is a textbook example of why you never ever hard-code credentials into code. If you use nuxtlabs/github-module, make sure you run version 1.6.2 or higher. Always keep secrets out of your source—and remember, attackers know where to look.

Got questions, or need help fixing secrets? Reach out!

Timeline

Published on: 04/18/2023 01:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 04/27/2023 19:46:00 UTC