Node.jsApplication
CVE-2023-39331
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 · uneditedA previously disclosed vulnerability (CVE-2023-30584) was patched insufficiently in commit 205f1e6. The new path traversal vulnerability arises because the implementation does not protect itself against the application overwriting built-in utility functions with user-defined implementations. Please note that at the time this CVE was issued, the permission model is an experimental feature of Node.js.
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 confidenceA path traversal vulnerability exists in Node.js experimental permission model where the implementation fails to protect built-in utility functions from being overwritten with user-defined implementations, allowing attackers to bypass path restrictions and access arbitrary files. This is an insufficient patch of CVE-2023-30584.
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
>= 20.0.0, < 20.8.1CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/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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Identify Node.js versionRun 'node --version' and compare the output to the affected range (>= 20.0.0, < 20.8.1)Affected if The installed version falls within >= 20.0.0 and < 20.8.1
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Confirm experimental permission model is in useCheck startup scripts, process environment, or command-line arguments for --experimental-permission flagAffected if The experimental permission model (--experimental-permission) is enabled in the Node.js runtime
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Audit for code that overwrites built-in utility functionsReview application source code for any implementations that redefine or patch Node.js built-in utility functions (such as file system utilities or path handling functions)Affected if User-defined code successfully overrides or replaces built-in utility functions in the environment
The environment is affected if Node.js version is 20.0.0 through 20.8.0, the experimental permission model is active, and code exists that can overwrite built-in utility functions to bypass path restrictions.
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.
dbcve · scoped20.8.1
Until an official patch is available, avoid using the experimental permission model in production or ensure no untrusted code can overwrite built-in utility functions. Monitor Node.js security advisories for the complete patch.
Node.js 20.8.1
- Upgrade Node.js to version 20.8.1 or later to resolve the path traversal vulnerability in the experimental permission model.
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
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $4,480.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-39331 — 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-2023-39331 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
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