CVE-2017-16116: String Denial of Service Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-g36h-6r4f-3mqp
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-400
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2017-16116 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) denial of service vulnerability (CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) affecting String libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves regular expression denial of service in string package. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2017-16116 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2017-16116
GHSA Identifier GHSA-g36h-6r4f-3mqp
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
Affected Product String
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 None (C:N)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2017-16116

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

string fixed: Latest secure release 
npm install string@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 string

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2017-16116, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls string

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of String 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 string 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-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption, where the product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource. In String, 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 `string` are vulnerable to regular expression denial of service when specifically crafted untrusted user input is passed into the `underscore` or `unescapeHTML` methods. ## Recommendation There is currently no direct patch for this vulnerability. Currently, the best solution is to avoid passing user input to the `underscore` and `unescapeHTML` methods. Alternatively, a user provided patch is available in [Pull Request #217]( https://github.com/jprichardson/string.js/pull/217/commits/eab9511e4efbc8c521e18b6cf2e8565ae50c5a16), however this patch has not been tested, nor has it been merged by the package author.

CVE-2017-16116 Affected String Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
string
npm/string
npm
≤ 3.3.3

References

NVD — CVE-2017-16116 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-16116
String Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/jprichardson/string.js/issues/212
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-g36h-6r4f-3mqp
www.npmjs.com/advisories/536 WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/536

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2017-16116?
CVE-2017-16116 is a security vulnerability in String involving Regular Expression Denial of Service in string package under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption.
Which String versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: string.
What version fixes CVE-2017-16116?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is string affected?
Yes, string 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-2017-16116?
CVE-2017-16116 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2017-16116?
CVE-2017-16116 is classified under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption (The product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2017-16116?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls string'. 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-g36h-6r4f-3mqp",
  "modified" : "2023-09-12T20:48:10Z",
  "published" : "2018-07-24T20:16:11Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2017-16116" ],
  "summary" : "Regular Expression Denial of Service in string package",
  "details" : "Affected versions of `string` are vulnerable to regular expression denial of service when specifically crafted untrusted user input is passed into the `underscore` or `unescapeHTML` methods.\n\n\n## Recommendation\n\nThere is currently no direct patch for this vulnerability. \n\nCurrently, the best solution is to avoid passing user input to the `underscore` and `unescapeHTML` methods.\n\nAlternatively, a user provided patch is available in [Pull Request #217]( https://github.com/jprichardson/string.js/pull/217/commits/eab9511e4efbc8c521e18b6cf2e8565ae50c5a16), however this patch has not been tested, nor has it been merged by the package author.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "string"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "3.3.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-16116"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/jprichardson/string.js/issues/212"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-g36h-6r4f-3mqp"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/536"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-400" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:35:57Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}