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CVE-2023-32003· NVD / CVE Program· CNA hackerone

`fs.mkdtemp()` and `fs.mkdtempSync()` can be used to bypass the permission model check using a path traversal attack.

`fs.mkdtemp()` and `fs.mkdtempSync()` can be used to bypass the permission model check using a path traversal attack. This flaw arises from a missing check in the fs.mkdtemp() API and the impact is a malicious actor could create an arbitrary directory. This vulnerability affects all users using the experimental permission model in Node.js 20. Please note that at the time this CVE was issued, the permission model is an experimental feature of Node.js.

MediumCVSS 5.3 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
Aug 15, 2023
Updated
Jun 17, 2026
EPSS
1.2% · 66th percentile
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Report tools

JSON

Action score

21

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
21 / 40 · 5.3 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 1.2%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
yes
Technical impact
partial

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

Affected systems

VendorProduct
nodejsnode.js
fedoraprojectfedora

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Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • nodejs node.js20.0.0 and later · up to 20.5.0 inclusive

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (hackerone). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • NodeJS Node

    • 4.0 and later · before 4.*affected · semver
    • 5.0 and later · before 5.*affected · semver
    • 6.0 and later · before 6.*affected · semver
    • 7.0 and later · before 7.*affected · semver
    • 8.0 and later · before 8.*affected · semver
    • 9.0 and later · before 9.*affected · semver
    • 10.0 and later · before 10.*affected · semver
    • 11.0 and later · before 11.*affected · semver
    • 12.0 and later · before 12.*affected · semver
    • 13.0 and later · before 13.*affected · semver

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
openSUSE:Tumbleweednodejs20before 20.5.1-1.120.5.1-1.1

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2019-15605HTTP request smuggling in Node.js 10, 12, and 13 causes malicious payload delivery when transfer-encoding is malformed
    56Plan
  • CVE-2021-22883Node.js before 10.24.0, 12.21.0, 14.16.0, and 15.10.0 is vulnerable to a denial of service attack when too many connection attempts with an
    52Plan
  • CVE-2021-22930Node.js before 16.6.0, 14.17.4, and 12.22.4 is vulnerable to a use after free attack where an attacker might be able to exploit the memory c
    50Plan
  • CVE-2021-22931Node.js before 16.6.0, 14.17.4, and 12.22.4 is vulnerable to Remote Code Execution, XSS, Application crashes due to missing input validation
    46Plan
  • CVE-2020-8277A Node.js application that allows an attacker to trigger a DNS request for a host of their choice could trigger a Denial of Service in versi
    46Plan
  • CVE-2017-14849Node.js 8.5.0 before 8.6.0 allows remote attackers to access unintended files, because a change to ".." handling was incompatible with the p
    46Plan

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
NodeJS Node10.*Vendor (CNA)
NodeJS Node11.*Vendor (CNA)
NodeJS Node12.*Vendor (CNA)
NodeJS Node13.*Vendor (CNA)
NodeJS Node14.*Vendor (CNA)
NodeJS Node15.*Vendor (CNA)
NodeJS Node17.*Vendor (CNA)
NodeJS Node19.*Vendor (CNA)
NodeJS Node20.5.1Vendor (CNA)
NodeJS Node4.*Vendor (CNA)
NodeJS Node5.*Vendor (CNA)
NodeJS Node6.*Vendor (CNA)
NodeJS Node7.*Vendor (CNA)
NodeJS Node8.*Vendor (CNA)
NodeJS Node9.*Vendor (CNA)
opensuse:nodejs2020.5.1-1.1 · openSUSE:TumbleweedPackage registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

The product’s vendor appears in a public program. Matched by name; verify the scope text in the program.

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
  • No account or password is required.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
none
Integrity
low · data or configuration can be modified
Availability
none
Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
None
Integrity impact
Low
Availability impact
None

CVSS vector

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

nvd-primary

Root cause

A user-supplied file name is joined with the allowed directory, but the result is never checked to confirm it is still inside that directory.

A representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.

Vulnerable

ts
const file = path.join(ROOT, req.query.name);res.sendFile(file);

Fixed

ts
const file = path.resolve(ROOT, req.query.name);if (!file.startsWith(ROOT + path.sep)) {  return res.sendStatus(400);}res.sendFile(file);

Noroxi analysis

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Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

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References

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