ZDF
Sign inSign up

Vulnerabilities

Vulnerability · CVE-2023-23918

A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in Node.js <19.6.1, <18.14.1, <16.19.1 and <14.21.3 that made it possible to bypass the experimental Permissions (https://n…

Published Feb 23, 2023 · catalog updated Oct 24, 2026 · the affected product

Last checked Oct 25, 2026. A connected source was read within the last 7 days.

Check if you run it

No confirmed exploitation is on record for CVE-2023-23918. EPSS is 2.02%. Act only if a listed version of the affected product is installed.

Gaps on this record

  • No plain product name is stored. The page cannot tell you which product to check.
  • No vendor fix or required action is stored. Compare the linked advisory before you change production.

Same product and reporting

Severity
High7.5
Known exploitation
Not in CISA/VulnCheck KEV
EPSS
2.02%
Remediation
Version ranges on file
Affected products
cpe nodejs/node.js

A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in Node.js <19.6.1, <18.14.1, <16.19.1 and <14.21.3 that made it possible to bypass the experimental Permissions (https://nodejs.org/api/permissions.html) feature in Node.js and access non authorized modules by using process.mainModule.require(). This only affects users who had enabled the experimental permissions option with --experimental-policy.

Are you affected?

Enter the version you run. The result uses only the ranges stored on this record.

The check returns affected, not affected, or incomplete. It does not guess a version that is missing from the record.

  • cpe nodejs/node.js< 14.21.3
  • cpe nodejs/node.js< 16.19.1
  • cpe nodejs/node.js< 18.14.1
  • cpe nodejs/node.js< 19.6.1
  • cpe nodejs/node.js>= 14.0.0, <= 14.14.0
  • cpe nodejs/node.js>= 16.0.0, <= 16.12.0
  • cpe nodejs/node.js>= 18.0.0, <= 18.11.0

How to fix CVE-2023-23918

  • Upgrade

    CVE-2023-23918 lists a fix boundary at 14.21.3. Compare the installed build with that boundary before you change production.

  • Version check

    Affected < 14.21.3

  • Advisory

    Open the cve_org record and follow its fix.

  • Official advisories

What to do

Three questions, each answered from this record only. Confirm the vendor advisory before you patch.

Should you patch?

No confirmed exploitation is on record for CVE-2023-23918. EPSS is 2.02%. Act only if a listed version of the affected product is installed.

Which versions are affected?

Compare what you have installed with < 14.21.3, < 16.19.1, < 18.14.1, < 19.6.1, >= 14.0.0, <= 14.14.0, >= 16.0.0, <= 16.12.0. Compare the installed version with the linked vendor advisory before you change production.

What should an analyst verify?

CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization. EPSS 2.02%. There is no CISA KEV listing. No Exploit-DB or Metasploit reference is linked. Use the source links for the original advisory.

Code

The project this record applies to. Exploit listings stay in References.

No public source repository is identified for this product.

Timeline

Detection, updates, and resolution for this record.

  1. Feb 23, 2023 · NIST NVD

    Detected

    A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in Node.js <19.6.1, <18.14.1, <16.19.1 and <14.21.3 that made it possible to bypass the experimental Permissions (https://nodejs.org/api/permissions.html) feature in Node.js and access non authorized modules by using process.mainModule.require(). This only affects users who had enabled the experimental permissions option with --experimental-policy.

  2. Oct 24, 2026 · NIST NVD

    Updated

    A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in Node.js <19.6.1, <18.14.1, <16.19.1 and <14.21.3 that made it possible to bypass the experimental Permissions (https://nodejs.org/api/permissions.html) feature in Node.js and access non authorized modules by using process.mainModule.require(). This only affects users who had enabled the experimental permissions option with --experimental-policy.

Sources

  • CVE.orgVulnerability recordCVE-2023-23918

    Official CVE identifier

    cve.org
  • NIST NVDVulnerability recordCVE-2023-23918

    A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in Node.js <19.6.1, <18.14.1, <16.19.1 and <14.21.3 that made it possible to bypass the experimental Permissions (https://nodejs.org/api/permissions.html) feature in Node.js and access non authorized modules by using process.mainModule.

    nvd.nist.gov

References

Freshness

Last verified in this catalog Oct 25, 2026. Significant claims (KEV, EPSS, CVSS, affected ranges) come from the source rows above — open the original publisher for the authoritative advisory.

  • CVE.orgOct 24, 2026
  • NIST NVDOct 24, 2026