---
title: "CVE-2023-46233: crypto-js PBKDF2 1,000 times weaker than specified in 1993 and 1.3M times weaker than current standard"
url: https://erroneo.us/security/cve/CVE-2023-46233/
description: "CVE-2023-46233 (crypto-js (npm)): crypto-js is a JavaScript library of crypto standards. Prior to version 4.2.0, crypto-js PBKDF2 is 1,000 times weaker than…"
type: vulnerability-record
section: "Security Digest"
date_published: 2023-10-25
date_modified: 2026-06-23
publisher: erroneo.us
author: erroneo.us Security Desk
cve: "CVE-2023-46233"
kev: false
cvss: 9.1
epss: 0.00635
license: All rights reserved. Quote with attribution and a link.
---

# CVE-2023-46233: crypto-js PBKDF2 1,000 times weaker than specified in 1993 and 1.3M times weaker than current standard

**Signal:** Critical and remotely reachable. No known exploitation yet, but it is network-reachable without credentials. (Computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS; not an editorial verdict.)

## Should you act?

- No confirmed exploitation. It is not in CISA’s KEV catalog and CISA’s SSVC assessment records no known exploitation. That can change quickly after a public write-up; re-check if you are affected.
- EPSS 0.6% , percentile 50: FIRST’s model estimates a 0.6% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 50% of all scored CVEs (low). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
- Remotely reachable with no login and no user interaction. If the vulnerable service is exposed to the internet, prioritize it.
- Only applies if your dependency tree includes crypto-js (npm) < 4.2.0, fixed in 4.2.0 . Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.

## What it is

crypto-js is a JavaScript library of crypto standards. Prior to version 4.2.0, crypto-js PBKDF2 is 1,000 times weaker than originally specified in 1993, and at least 1,300,000 times weaker than current industry standard. This is because it both defaults to SHA1, a cryptographic hash algorithm considered insecure since at least 2005, and defaults to one single iteration, a 'strength' or 'difficulty' value specified at 1,000 when specified in 1993. PBKDF2 relies on iteration count as a countermeasure to preimage and collision attacks. If used to protect passwords, the impact is high. If used to generate signatures, the impact is high. Version 4.2.0 contains a patch for this issue. As a workaround, configure crypto-js to use SHA256 with at least 250,000 iterations.

## Affected packages

- npm `crypto-js` < 4.2.0 → fixed: 4.2.0

## Affected products (CVE record)

- brix crypto-js: < 4.2.0

## Severity

- GitHub_M CVSS 3.1: 9.1 `CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N`
- GitHub CVSS 3.1: 9.1 `CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N`

## Exploitation

- CISA KEV: not listed (no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation known to CISA).
- CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation none , automatable yes , technical impact total .
- FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 0.64% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 50.

## Sources

- [GitHub Advisory GHSA-xwcq-pm8m-c4vf](https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-xwcq-pm8m-c4vf)
- [CVE.org record CVE-2023-46233](https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-46233)
- [NVD entry CVE-2023-46233](https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-46233)
- [github.com](https://github.com/brix/crypto-js/security/advisories/GHSA-xwcq-pm8m-c4vf)
- [github.com](https://github.com/brix/crypto-js/commit/421dd538b2d34e7c24a5b72cc64dc2b9167db40a)
- [lists.debian.org](https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/11/msg00025.html)

---
Source page: https://erroneo.us/security/cve/CVE-2023-46233/ · Security Digest: https://erroneo.us/security/ · More: https://erroneo.us/llms.txt