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Node.jsApplication

CVE-2023-30588

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-11-28
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 16.20.1 / 18.16.1 or later.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
When an invalid public key is used to create an x509 certificate using the crypto.X509Certificate() API a non-expect termination occurs making it susceptible to DoS attacks when the attacker could force interruptions of application processing, as the process terminates when accessing public key info of provided certificates from user code. The current context of the users will be gone, and that will cause a DoS scenario. This vulnerability affects all active Node.js versions v16, v18, and, v20.

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 confidence

The crypto.X509Certificate() API in Node.js versions v16, v18, and v20 terminates unexpectedly when processing certificates with invalid public keys. This unhandled termination causes the Node.js process to crash, creating a denial-of-service condition when an attacker can supply malicious certificates to the application.

MitigationUpgrade Node.js to the latest patched versions for v16, v18, and v20 that address this vulnerability, and validate certificate input before passing to the crypto.X509Certificate() API.

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
Node.jsApplication
Affected:>= 16.0.0, < 16.20.1>= 18.0.0, < 18.16.1>= 20.0.0, < 20.3.1

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
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
Low

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L

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. Identify the installed Node.js version
    Run `node --version` in the terminal or programmatically `console.log(process.version)`
    Affected if The version falls within >= 16.0.0 and < 16.20.1, OR >= 18.0.0 and < 18.16.1, OR >= 20.0.0 and < 20.3.1
  2. Locate code using the crypto.X509Certificate API
    Search source files for patterns like `new crypto.X509Certificate(` or `new X509Certificate(` after importing the crypto module
    Affected if The application uses the crypto.X509Certificate() constructor to parse certificates
  3. Determine if certificates are sourced from untrusted input
    Audit certificate loading code paths: check if certificates come from user uploads, network requests, or external files without validation
    Affected if The application processes certificates from untrusted or external sources without prior validation
  4. Verify if the application runs in an environment controlled by an attacker
    Identify if the Node.js process handles certificates from network peers, uploaded files, or data that could be supplied by an attacker
    Affected if Untrusted certificate data can be supplied to the crypto.X509Certificate() API by an attacker

You are affected if your Node.js version is within the vulnerable ranges AND your application uses crypto.X509Certificate() to process certificates from untrusted or attacker-controlled sources.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 16.20.1 / 18.16.1 / 20.3.1 or later
Fixed in 16.20.118.16.120.3.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Node.js to the latest patched versions for v16, v18, and v20 that address this vulnerability, and validate certificate input before passing to the crypto.X509Certificate() API.

Recommended fix High confidence

Node.js 16.20.1, 18.16.1, or 20.3.1 (depending on major version branch)

  1. Identify the current Node.js version in use by running 'node --version'
  2. If using Node.js v16.x, upgrade to version 16.20.1 or later
  3. If using Node.js v18.x, upgrade to version 18.16.1 or later
  4. If using Node.js v20.x, upgrade to version 20.3.1 or later
  5. Use a version manager like nvm to switch versions: 'nvm install <version>' and 'nvm use <version>'
  6. Verify the upgrade was successful by running 'node --version'
  7. Test application functionality to ensure the upgrade does not break existing features
Caveat Minor and patch updates are typically backward compatible, but review Node.js release notes for any behavioral changes between versions

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

Fix this in Node.js Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,080
Get the upgrade done

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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2023-30588 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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