CVE-2017-16052
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`node-fabric` 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 It has been unpublished by npm.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 · high confidencenode-fabric was a deliberately malicious npm package published with the intent to hijack environment variables. The package was designed to exfiltrate sensitive data such as credentials, API keys, tokens, or other secrets stored in environment variables back to the attacker.
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 for node-fabric in node_modulesRun `ls node_modules/ | grep -i fabric` or manually navigate to node_modules folder and look for a folder named 'node-fabric'Affected if A folder named 'node-fabric' exists in node_modules
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Check package.json dependenciesInspect your project's package.json file for 'node-fabric' in the 'dependencies' or 'devDependencies' sectionsAffected if 'node-fabric' is listed as a dependency
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Check lock files for node-fabricSearch your package-lock.json or yarn.lock file for 'node-fabric'Affected if node-fabric appears in the lock file dependency tree
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Audit npm dependenciesRun `npm audit` or `npm audit --audit-level=high` and review the output for vulnerabilities related to node-fabricAffected if npm audit reports issues related to node-fabric or malicious packages
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Check for unusual network outbound connectionsMonitor network traffic from your application for unexpected outbound connections to unknown servers, especially if node-fabric is presentAffected if Your application makes outbound connections to servers you do not recognize or expect
Your environment is affected if node-fabric appears anywhere in your dependency tree (node_modules, package.json, or lock files), as this package was deliberately malicious and designed to exfiltrate environment variables.
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 dataImmediately audit all projects for node-fabric in dependency trees and remove the package. If deployed, rotate all potentially exposed credentials, API keys, and secrets, then monitor for unauthorized access.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-16052 — 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-2017-16052 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