dbcve.org
RoutinatorApplication · Nlnetlabs

CVE-2023-39916

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-09-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 0.12.2 or later.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 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
NLnet Labs’ Routinator 0.9.0 up to and including 0.12.1 as well as 0.14.0 up to and including 0.14.2 contains a possible path traversal vulnerability in the optional, off-by-default keep-rrdp-responses feature that allows users to store the content of responses received for RRDP requests. The location of these stored responses is constructed from the URL of the request. Due to insufficient sanitation of the URL, it is possible for an attacker to craft a URL that results in the response being stored outside of the directory specified for it.

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

NLnet Labs' Routinator contains a path traversal vulnerability in the optional keep-rrdp-responses feature (versions 0.9.0-0.12.1 and 0.14.0-0.14.2). When storing RRDP responses, the file path is constructed directly from the request URL without proper sanitization, allowing attackers to use crafted URLs (e.g., containing ../ sequences) to write files outside the intended storage directory.

MitigationDisable the keep-rrdp-responses feature if not required; otherwise, upgrade to patched versions (0.13.0 or 0.14.3+) when available. If using the feature, validate and sanitize URLs before path construction.

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
RoutinatorApplication
Affected:>= 0.9.0, < 0.12.2

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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 checks

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

  1. Check installed Routinator version
    Run 'routinator --version' or inspect the package installed via your system package manager (e.g., dpkg -l routinator, rpm -qi routinator)
    Affected if The version number is between 0.9.0 and 0.12.1 inclusive, or between 0.14.0 and 0.14.2 inclusive (versions prior to 0.12.2 or between 0.14.0-0.14.2)
  2. Confirm keep-rrdp-responses feature is in use
    Search configuration files for 'keep-rrdp-responses' setting (typically in /etc/routinator/routinator.conf or similar), or check command-line arguments if Routinator is run with '--keep-rrdp-responses'
    Affected if The feature is explicitly enabled in configuration or via command-line flag; if disabled or not configured, the vulnerability does not apply

You are affected if your installed Routinator version falls within 0.9.0-0.12.1 or 0.14.0-0.14.2 AND the keep-rrdp-responses feature is enabled.

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 0.12.2 or later
Fixed in 0.12.2
Interim mitigation

Disable the keep-rrdp-responses feature if not required; otherwise, upgrade to patched versions (0.13.0 or 0.14.3+) when available. If using the feature, validate and sanitize URLs before path construction.

Recommended fix High confidence

Routinator 0.12.2 or later (and for the 0.14.x branch, 0.14.3 or later)

  1. 1. Identify the current Routinator version by running: routinator --version
  2. 2. If the version is between 0.9.0 and 0.12.1 (inclusive), plan an upgrade to version 0.12.2 or later
  3. 3. If using a package manager (e.g., apt, yum, brew), update the package: sudo apt update && sudo apt install routinator (or equivalent for your package manager)
  4. 4. Alternatively, download the latest release from the official NLnet Labs repository at https://github.com/NLnetLabs/routinator/releases
  5. 5. After upgrading, verify the new version: routinator --version
  6. 6. If the keep-rrdp-responses feature was enabled, review the configuration to ensure it still functions correctly with the patched version
Caveat Review release notes for any configuration changes between your current version and 0.12.2; minor version upgrades typically have minimal breaking changes

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

Fix this in Routinator Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,380
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,808.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-39916 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2023-39916 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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