nanoid known bugs

### Summary An integer overflow in `nanoid(size)` permanently corrupts the process-wide CSPRNG pool, causing all subsequent ID generation to return the deterministic string `"uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"`. Any application that passes user-influenced values to the `size` parameter loses all randomness guarantees for session tokens, CSRF tokens, and unique identifiers until process restart. ### Details `nanoid()` at [`index.js:101`](https://github.com/ai/nanoid/blob/main/index.js#L101) coerces the `size` parameter with `size |= 0`, which converts it to a signed 32-bit integer. When `size >= 2^31` (e.g., `2147483648`), this wraps to `-2147483648`. The negative value is passed to `fillPool()` ([`index.js:15`](https://github.com/ai/nanoid/blob/main/index.js#L15)): ```javascript function fillPool(bytes) { if (!pool || pool.length < bytes) { // false: pool exists, -2B < pool.length pool = Buffer.allocUnsafe(bytes * POOL_SIZE_MULTIPLIER) crypto.getRandomValues(pool) poolOffset = 0 } else if (poolOffset + bytes > pool.length) { // false: poolOffset + (-2B) < pool.length crypto.getRandomValues(pool) poolOffset = 0 } poolOffset += bytes // poolOffset += -2147483648 → deeply negative } ``` Neither branch triggers, so the pool is never refreshed. `poolOffset` becomes ~-2.1 billion. Subsequent `nanoid()` calls execute: ```javascript for (let i = poolOffset - size; i < poolOffset; i++) { id += scopedUrlAlphabet[pool[i] & 63] } ``` `pool[negative_index]` returns `undefined`. `undefined & 63` evaluates to `0`. `urlAlphabet[0]` is `'u'`. Every ID becomes `"uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"`. The corruption is **persistent** — it affects all subsequent calls in the process until ~100 million calls eventually wrap `poolOffset` back to positive, or the process restarts. ### PoC ```javascript import { nanoid } from 'nanoid' // Step 1: Normal operation console.log(nanoid()) // e.g., "V1StGXR8_Z5jdHi6B-myT" // Step 2: Trigger overflow (e.g., from an API parameter) try { nanoid(2147483648) } catch(e) {} // Step 3: All subsequent IDs are deterministic console.log(nanoid()) // "uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu" console.log(nanoid()) // "uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu" console.log(nanoid()) // "uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu" // ... forever, process-wide ``` Run with: `node --experimental-vm-modules poc.mjs` Attack scenario: Any API endpoint that accepts a user-controlled length/size parameter (URL shortener slug length, configurable token size, etc.) and passes it to `nanoid(userInput)`. ### Impact **Complete loss of ID unpredictability and uniqueness, process-wide, from a single request.** - All session IDs, CSRF tokens, API keys, and database identifiers generated after the attack are identical and predictable - An attacker can predict all tokens issued to other users, enabling session hijacking and authentication bypass - The corruption is persistent (survives across requests) and affects all consumers of `nanoid` in the same process - No special privileges or preconditions required — a single unauthenticated request is sufficient - Affects any application that passes external input to the `size` parameter without validation

nanoid (Nano ID) before 5.1.6 contains an infinite loop in the customAlphabet and customRandom functions. When these functions are configured with a size of 0, the internal generation loop never satisfies its exit condition and spins indefinitely, hanging the calling thread. An application that passes an unvalidated, attacker-controlled size of 0 to these functions is exposed to a denial-of-service condition.

nanoid (Nano ID) before 5.1.16 contains an infinite loop in the customAlphabet and nanoid functions of its non-secure module (nanoid/non-secure). When these functions are given a negative size, the loop counter is decremented from a negative value and never reaches its termination condition, spinning indefinitely and hanging the calling thread. An application that passes an unvalidated, attacker-controlled negative size to these functions is exposed to a denial-of-service condition.

The package nanoid from 3.0.0, before 3.1.31, are vulnerable to Information Exposure via the valueOf() function which allows to reproduce the last id generated.

When nanoid is called with a fractional value, there were a number of undesirable effects: 1. in browser and non-secure, the code infinite loops on while (size--) 2. in node, the value of poolOffset becomes fractional, causing calls to nanoid to return zeroes until the pool is next filled 3. if the first call in node is a fractional argument, the initial buffer allocation fails with an error Version 3.3.8 and 5.0.9 are fixed.