Date Identified: 2026-02-03
Severity: High
Status: ✅ Resolved

A vulnerability was identified in nodemailer versions prior to 7.0.7 that could cause emails to be sent to unintended domains due to an interpretation conflict in email address parsing.

Affected Versions: < 7.0.7
Patched Version: 7.0.7

This vulnerability could potentially allow an attacker to manipulate email addresses in a way that causes emails to be delivered to unintended recipients, which could lead to:

• Information disclosure
• Unauthorized access to sensitive data
• Privacy violations
• Compliance issues (GDPR, CAN-SPAM)

Action Taken: Updated nodemailer from version 6.9.13 to 7.0.7

Changes:

• Updated package.json to require nodemailer ^7.0.7
• No API changes required (nodemailer 7.x is backward compatible with 6.x for our use cases)

Nodemailer 7.x introduces some breaking changes, but they do not affect our implementation:

1. Node.js Version: Requires Node.js 14+ (we require 18+, so we're compliant)
2. TLS Defaults: More secure defaults for TLS connections (improves security)
3. Removed Features: Some deprecated features removed (we don't use them)

Our implementation uses only the core SMTP functionality which remains fully compatible.

To verify the fix:

# Check installed version
npm list nodemailer

# Should show: nodemailer@7.0.7 or higher

After updating to nodemailer 7.0.7, test the following:

1. SMTP Connection: Verify SMTP connections still work
2. Email Sending: Send test emails through both Gmail API and SMTP
3. Email Address Validation: Test with various email formats
4. Attachments: Verify attachments still work (if used)
5. TLS/SSL: Confirm secure connections are established

• Nodemailer Changelog
• GitHub Advisory Database
• Package: nodemailer
• Ecosystem: npm

To prevent similar vulnerabilities:

1. Automated Dependency Scanning: Use tools like:

   • npm audit (built-in)
   • Dependabot (GitHub)
   • Snyk
   • OWASP Dependency-Check

2. Regular Updates:

   • Review and update dependencies monthly
   • Subscribe to security advisories for critical packages
   • Use npm outdated to check for updates

3. Version Pinning Strategy:

   • Use caret (^) for patch and minor updates
   • Review major version updates carefully
   • Test thoroughly before deploying updates

4. CI/CD Integration:

   • Add npm audit to CI pipeline
   • Fail builds on high/critical vulnerabilities
   • Automate security scanning

Date: 2026-02-03
Reporter: User
Action: Updated nodemailer 6.9.13 → 7.0.7
Tested: Pending implementation
Deployed: Pending

If you discover a security vulnerability in this project:

1. DO NOT open a public issue
2. Email security concerns to: security@yourdomain.com
3. Include:
   • Description of the vulnerability
   • Steps to reproduce
   • Potential impact
   • Suggested fix (if available)

• Acknowledgment: Within 24 hours
• Initial Assessment: Within 72 hours
• Fix Development: Based on severity (critical: <7 days, high: <14 days)
• Disclosure: After fix is deployed and verified

This project follows security best practices:

1. Input Validation: All user inputs are validated and sanitized
2. Authentication: JWT-based authentication with secure secrets
3. Rate Limiting: API endpoints are rate-limited to prevent abuse
4. Encryption:
   • Credentials encrypted at rest
   • TLS/SSL for all external communication
5. Dependencies: Regular security audits and updates
6. Least Privilege: Services run with minimum required permissions
7. Logging: Security events are logged for audit purposes

Before deploying to production:

• Run npm audit and resolve all high/critical vulnerabilities
• Use environment variables for all secrets (never commit secrets)
• Enable HTTPS/TLS for all external endpoints
• Configure firewall rules (allow only necessary ports)
• Set up monitoring and alerting for security events
• Implement rate limiting on all public APIs
• Use strong, unique passwords for all services
• Enable database encryption at rest
• Set up automated backups
• Configure WAF (Web Application Firewall) if available
• Review and harden server configurations
• Disable unnecessary services and ports
• Set up intrusion detection (optional)

Last Updated: 2026-02-03
Next Review: 2026-03-03