CVE-2017-16045
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · unedited`jquery.js` was a malicious module published with the intent to hijack environment variables. It has been unpublished by npm.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceThe jquery.js package was a malicious npm module published to the npm registry with a deceptive name (similar to the legitimate jQuery library). It was designed to hijack and exfiltrate environment variables, likely for credential or secret theft. The package has since been unpublished from npm.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE dataall versionsCVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check package.json for malicious jquery.js dependencyInspect your project's package.json file and search for any entry named 'jquery.js' (note: this is different from the legitimate 'jquery' package)Affected if An entry for 'jquery.js' exists in the dependencies, devDependencies, or optionalDependencies sections
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Inspect node_modules for jquery.js directoryLook for a jquery.js folder inside node_modules: run 'ls node_modules/jquery.js' or 'dir node_modules\jquery.js' on WindowsAffected if The node_modules/jquery.js directory exists in your project
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Check npm-shrinkwrap or yarn.lock for jquery.jsSearch your lockfiles for 'jquery.js' entries using 'grep jquery.js package-lock.json' or 'grep jquery.js npm-shrinkwrap.json'Affected if The lockfile contains references to the jquery.js package
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Examine jquery.js package content for exfiltration codeIf jquery.js is found, inspect the main file (usually index.js or jquery.js inside node_modules/jquery.js) for suspicious code that reads process.env or makes network requests to external serversAffected if The package contains code that sends environment variables to external servers or performs unauthorized data exfiltration
If the jquery.js package (not the legitimate jquery) is present in dependencies, node_modules, or lockfiles, the environment is compromised and credentials/secrets may have been exposed.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataReview project dependencies to confirm jquery.js is not present, remove it if found, and treat as a potential security incident—rotate any credentials or secrets that may have been exposed to the compromised environment.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,744.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-16045 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2017-16045 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data