CVE-2017-16202
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 · uneditedThe cofeescript module exfiltrates sensitive data such as a user's private SSH key and bash history to a third party server during installation.
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 confidenceThe cofeescript package (a typosquat of the legitimate coffee-script) contains malicious code that exfiltrates sensitive user data including private SSH keys and bash history to a third-party server during npm installation. This is a supply chain compromise where the stolen data could enable lateral movement and credential compromise.
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= 0.0.1CVSS 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 if the typosquatted cofeescript package is installedRun 'npm list --depth=0' or 'npm list -g --depth=0' for global packages to see if 'cofeescript' (with the extra e) appears in the installed packages listAffected if The package named 'cofeescript' appears in the npm list output (note the typo - it has two e's, not the legitimate 'coffee-script')
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Verify the installed version of cofeescriptRun 'npm list cofeescript' or check package.json for the cofeescript entry to determine the exact version numberAffected if The installed version is exactly 0.0.1 (this is the only affected version per the CVE)
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Inspect npm installation logs for suspicious network behaviorReview the npm install output or logs from when cofeescript was installed for any outgoing network connections to unknown servers during installationAffected if During npm installation of cofeescript, outbound network connections were made to servers other than the official npm registry
You are affected if the malicious 'cofeescript' package (typosquat of coffee-script) version 0.0.1 is installed in your local or global npm environment, as this package exfiltrates SSH keys and bash history during installation.
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 remove the cofeescript package from any affected systems, rotate all potentially compromised SSH private keys and any credentials found in bash history, and audit for unauthorized access using the stolen credentials.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,680.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-16202 — 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-2017-16202 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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- 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