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Safe EvalApplication · Safe Eval Project

CVE-2017-16088

CRITICAL · 10.0 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-06-07
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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
The safe-eval module describes itself as a safer version of eval. By accessing the object constructors, un-sanitized user input can access the entire standard library and effectively break out of the sandbox.

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 confidence

The safe-eval npm module fails to properly sandbox code execution. By accessing object constructors through un-sanitized user input, attackers can escape the sandbox and access the full Node.js standard library, enabling arbitrary code execution on the host system.

MitigationRemove safe-eval from the codebase entirely and replace with properly sandboxed alternatives (e.g., vm2 with proper configuration, or expression parsers like mathjs) or redesign to avoid eval-based solutions altogether.

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 data
Safe EvalApplication
Affected:= 0.0.0= 0.1.0= 0.2.0= 0.3.0

CVSS 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
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Locate safe-eval in your project dependencies
    Search your package.json files for 'safe-eval' under dependencies, devDependencies, or peerDependencies. Also check for it in any lockfiles (package-lock.json or yarn.lock).
    Affected if safe-eval appears in any dependencies section of your project's package.json
  2. Identify the installed version of safe-eval
    Run 'npm list safe-eval' or check the version listed in package-lock.json, or inspect node_modules/safe-eval/package.json for the 'version' field.
    Affected if The installed version is 0.0.0, 0.1.0, 0.2.0, or 0.3.0
  3. Verify safe-eval is being called in your application code
    Search your codebase for patterns like 'require("safe-eval")' or 'import safe-eval' and identify where the safeEval function is invoked.
    Affected if safe-eval is required and its function is called in your application code
  4. Determine if untrusted user input reaches safe-eval
    Trace the data flow from HTTP request parameters, form inputs, or API payloads to the safe-eval function call. Check if any user-controllable data is passed as the code argument.
    Affected if User-supplied input or data from external sources is passed directly to the safe-eval function

You are affected if safe-eval version 0.0.0 through 0.3.0 is installed and untrusted user input can reach the safe-eval function, allowing sandbox escape and arbitrary code execution.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Remove safe-eval from the codebase entirely and replace with properly sandboxed alternatives (e.g., vm2 with proper configuration, or expression parsers like mathjs) or redesign to avoid eval-based solutions altogether.

Recommended fix High confidence
  1. This vulnerability has no vendor-provided patch or fix.
  2. The safe-eval package (versions 0.0.0 through 0.3.0) has been abandoned and is no longer maintained.
  3. Do not use safe-eval in any production environment.
  4. Replace safe-eval with a maintained, actively supported sandboxing solution such as 'vm2' (note: vm2 also had past vulnerabilities, ensure you use a current version) or 'quickjs-eval', or re-architect your application to avoid dynamic code execution entirely.
  5. If you must continue using safe-eval temporarily, ensure all user input is strictly validated and never allow access to constructor properties.
Caveat safe-eval is unmaintained and should be replaced entirely; there is no safe version to upgrade to.

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Safe Eval Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
17.0 hours of engineering $3,000
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2017-16088 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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