GitHub Advisoryadvisory · npm
GHSA-qhh4-458h-xwh2 @cyclonedx/cdxgen: Docker registry auth substring match forwards credentials to a different registry
MEDIUM
Official page ↗
- Ecosystem
- npm
- Packages
- @cyclonedx/cdxgen
- Severity
- Moderate
- CVSS vector
- CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:L/SA:N
- Weaknesses
- CWE-346, CWE-522
- Reviewed
- 2026-05-08
Affected packages
• npm @cyclonedx/cdxgen: >= 9.9.5, < 12.3.3 → fixed in 12.3.3
Description
Docker registry auth substring match forwards credentials to a different registry
Repository
`cdxgen/cdxgen`
Affected product/package
• Ecosystem: npm
• Package: `@cyclonedx/cdxgen`
• Reviewed tree version: `12.3.3`
• Reviewed commit: `b1e179869fd7c6032c3d483c3f7bd4d7154ec22b`
• Affected file: `lib/managers/docker.js`
• Affected from: v9.9.5
The Single Executable Applications (SEA) binaries and container images are also affected.
Weakness
CWE-522 / CWE-346.
Summary
When cdxgen scans or pulls container images through the Docker daemon API, it builds an `X-Registry-Auth` header from Docker credentials in `DOCKER_CONFIG/config.json`. The credential selection logic matches configured registry keys with substring checks:
```js
if (forRegistry && !serverAddress.includes(forRegistry)) {
continue;
}
```
This is not an origin-safe registry comparison. For example, credentials configured for `private-registry.example.com` are selected for a requested image under `registry.example.com`, because:
```js
"private-registry.example.com".includes("registry.example.com") === true
```
The selected credentials are then serialized into `X-Registry-Auth` for the Docker API pull request targeting the requested registry.
Reproduction
Use the attached/local proof:
```sh
node submissions/github-gsa/cdxgen-docker-registry-auth-substring-forwarding/evidence/cdxgen_docker_registry_auth_substring_probe.mjs
```
The proof is fully local. It creates a temporary Docker config containing credentials for `private-registry.example.com`, starts a localhost mock Docker API endpoint, sets `DOCKER_HOST` to that endpoint, then calls cdxgen's exported Docker request path for a pull from `registry.example.com`.
Observed vulnerable output:
```json
{
"decision": "GO",
"dockerConfigAuthHost": "private-registry.example.com",
"requestedRegistry": "registry.example.com",
"substringMatch": true,
"dockerApiUrl": "/images/create?fromImage=registry.example.com/team/app:latest",
"headerPresent": true,
"decodedHeader": {
"username": "trusted-user",
"password": "trusted-pass",
"serveraddress": "private-registry.example.com"
}
}
```
Impact
If an operator has Docker credentials for a private registry and uses cdxgen to scan an image from a different registry whose hostname is a substring of that private registry hostname, cdxgen can attach the private registry credentials to the Docker pull request for the different registry.
In a realistic attack, an attacker who controls or can observe the requested registry can induce a victim to scan an image from that registry. The Docker daemon API receives an `X-Registry-Auth` payload containing credentials for the victim's private registry but associated with the attacker-requested pull. This is a credential forwarding/misbinding issue in cdxgen's container image handling.
References
Functions `normalizeRegistryHost` and `registriesMatch` added to normalize and perform strict host matching.
Fix PR: https://github.com/cdxgen/cdxgen/pull/3964
Researcher: Francesco SabiuResearcher: Francesco Sabiu