CVE-2017-16020: Summit Unsafe Eval() Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-cwcp-6c48-fm7m
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-94
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2017-16020 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) unsafe eval() vulnerability (CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')) affecting Summit libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves unsafe eval() in summit allows arbitrary code execution. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2017-16020 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2017-16020
GHSA Identifier GHSA-cwcp-6c48-fm7m
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')
Affected Product Summit
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2017-16020

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Summit dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

summit fixed: Latest secure release 
npm install summit@Latest secure release
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

npm ls summit

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2017-16020, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls summit

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Summit in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls summit command inspects dependencies declared in your package.json and lockfile; it does not perform automated runtime dynamic scanning.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment. In Summit, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

Affected versions of `summit` allow attackers to execute arbitrary commands via collection names when using the `PouchDB` driver. ## Recommendation No direct patch is available at this time. Currently, the best option to mitigate the issue is to avoid using the `PouchDB` driver, as the package author has abandoned this feature entirely.

CVE-2017-16020 Affected Summit Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
summit
npm/summit
npm
≥ 0.1.0
≤ 0.1.22

References

NVD — CVE-2017-16020 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-16020
Summit Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/notduncansmith/summit/issues/23
Summit Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/fredhohman/summit

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2017-16020?
CVE-2017-16020 is a security vulnerability in Summit involving Unsafe eval() in summit allows arbitrary code execution under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection').
Which Summit versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: summit.
What version fixes CVE-2017-16020?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is summit affected?
Yes, summit is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2017-16020?
CVE-2017-16020 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2017-16020?
CVE-2017-16020 is classified under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection') (The product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2017-16020?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls summit'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-cwcp-6c48-fm7m",
  "modified" : "2023-11-14T21:08:18Z",
  "published" : "2020-09-01T16:39:38Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2017-16020" ],
  "summary" : "Unsafe eval() in summit allows arbitrary code execution",
  "details" : "Affected versions of `summit` allow attackers to execute arbitrary commands via collection names when using the `PouchDB` driver.\n\n## Recommendation\n\nNo direct patch is available at this time.\n\nCurrently, the best option to mitigate the issue is to avoid using the `PouchDB` driver, as the package author has abandoned this feature entirely.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "summit"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0.1.0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "0.1.22"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-16020"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/notduncansmith/summit/issues/23"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/fredhohman/summit"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-94" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-08-31T18:18:59Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2018-06-04T19:29:01Z"
  }
}