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Node.jsApplication

CVE-2024-21892

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-02-20
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 18.19.1 / 20.11.1 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
On Linux, Node.js ignores certain environment variables if those may have been set by an unprivileged user while the process is running with elevated privileges with the only exception of CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE. Due to a bug in the implementation of this exception, Node.js incorrectly applies this exception even when certain other capabilities have been set. This allows unprivileged users to inject code that inherits the process's elevated privileges.

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

Node.js on Linux has a privilege escalation vulnerability where the environment variable security check incorrectly applies the CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE exception even when other capabilities are present. This allows unprivileged users to inject malicious environment variables that result in code execution with elevated privileges.

MitigationUpdate Node.js to the patched version. If immediate updating is not possible, avoid running Node.js processes with elevated capabilities or ensure proper capability dropping after startup.

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:>= 18.0.0, < 18.19.1>= 20.0.0, < 20.11.1>= 21.0.0, < 21.6.2

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/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. Identify installed Node.js version
    Run `node --version` or `node -v` to get the exact version number
    Affected if The version falls within these ranges: 18.0.0 to 18.19.0, 20.0.0 to 20.11.0, or 21.0.0 to 21.6.1
  2. Confirm operating system is Linux
    Run `uname -s` or check if /proc/version exists - this vulnerability only affects Node.js on Linux
    Affected if The system is not Linux (vulnerability is Linux-specific)
  3. Check Node.js binary capabilities
    Run `getcap $(which node)` to see what capabilities are set on the Node.js binary
    Affected if The CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE capability is present on the node binary
  4. Verify running process capabilities
    Check /proc/<node_pid>/status for CapEff line, or run `capsh --print` while the Node.js process is running
    Affected if The process has multiple elevated capabilities beyond CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE alone (the vulnerability allows privilege escalation when any additional capability is present)

You are affected if you run a Node.js version in the affected ranges on Linux and your Node.js process has CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE capability along with any other elevated capabilities.

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 18.19.1 / 20.11.1 / 21.6.2 or later
Fixed in 18.19.120.11.121.6.2
Interim mitigation

Update Node.js to the patched version. If immediate updating is not possible, avoid running Node.js processes with elevated capabilities or ensure proper capability dropping after startup.

Recommended fix High confidence

Node.js 18.19.1+, 20.11.1+, or 21.6.2+

  1. Identify the currently installed Node.js version using 'node --version'
  2. Determine which major version line (18.x, 20.x, or 21.x) is in use
  3. Upgrade Node.js to version 18.19.1 or higher for 18.x users, 20.11.1 or higher for 20.x users, or 21.6.2 or higher for 21.x users
  4. For systems using package managers, run: 'npm install -g n' then 'n <target_version>' or use your distribution's package manager to install the patched version
  5. Verify the upgrade was successful by running 'node --version' and confirming it shows a patched version
  6. Restart any Node.js services or applications running with elevated privileges

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
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.

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-2024-21892 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