Vulnerability identifier: #VU23888

Vulnerability risk: Low

CVSSv3.1: 3.7 [CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N/E:U/RL:O/RC:C]

CVE-ID: CVE-2019-16775

CWE-ID: CWE-61

Exploitation vector: Network

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
NPM
Web applications / CMS

Vendor: isaacs

Description

The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to perform directory traversal attacks.

Versions of the npm CLI prior to 6.13.3 are vulnerable to a symlink reference outside of node_modules. It is possible for packages to create symlinks to files outside of the node_modules folder through the bin field upon installation. A properly constructed entry in the package.json bin field would allow a package publisher to create a symlink pointing to arbitrary files on a user’s system when the package is installed. Only files accessible by the user running the npm install are affected.

Mitigation
Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

NPM: 1.1.25 - 6.13.2

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External links
http://www.npmjs.com/advisories/1436

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote non-authenticated attacker via the Internet.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.