CVE-2016-10581: Steroids Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-5m9c-634g-47vq
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CVSS 8.1
CWE-311
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2016-10581 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.1) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-311: Missing Encryption of Sensitive Data) affecting Steroids libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves steroids downloads resources over http. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2016-10581 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2016-10581
GHSA Identifier GHSA-5m9c-634g-47vq
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.1
CWE Classification CWE-311: Missing Encryption of Sensitive Data
Affected Product Steroids
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.1

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
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-2016-10581

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

steroids fixed: Latest secure release 
npm install steroids@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 steroids

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2016-10581, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls steroids

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Steroids 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 steroids 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-311: Missing Encryption of Sensitive Data, where the product does not encrypt sensitive or critical information before storage or transmission. In Steroids, 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 `steroids` insecurely download an executable over an unencrypted HTTP connection. In scenarios where an attacker has a privileged network position, it is possible to intercept the response and replace the executable with a malicious one, resulting in code execution on the system running `steroids`. ## Recommendation This vulnerability was discovered and reported in 2016, yet has not seen a patch issued as of 03/2018. As of 08/2022, [the package is marked as deprecated](https://www.npmjs.com/package/steroids) and the GitHub repository is no longer publicly available. The best path forward for mitigating this issue is to attempt to use an alternative module that is actively maintained and which provides similar functionality, such as the native PhoneGap API.

CVE-2016-10581 Affected Steroids Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
steroids
npm/steroids
npm
≤ 4.1.27

References

NVD — CVE-2016-10581 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-10581
Steroids Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/AppGyver/steroids
Steroids Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/AppGyver/steroids/blob/master/package.json#L101
Steroids Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/AppGyver/steroids/blob/master/package.json#L103-L104
Steroids Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/AppGyver/steroids/blob/master/package.json#L74
www.npmjs.com/advisories/168 WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/168

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2016-10581?
CVE-2016-10581 is a security vulnerability in Steroids involving steroids downloads resources over HTTP under CWE-311: Missing Encryption of Sensitive Data.
Which Steroids versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: steroids.
What version fixes CVE-2016-10581?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is steroids affected?
Yes, steroids 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-2016-10581?
CVE-2016-10581 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2016-10581?
CVE-2016-10581 is classified under CWE-311: Missing Encryption of Sensitive Data (The product does not encrypt sensitive or critical information before storage or transmission.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2016-10581?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls steroids'. 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-5m9c-634g-47vq",
  "modified" : "2022-08-03T21:20:09Z",
  "published" : "2019-02-18T23:35:01Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2016-10581" ],
  "summary" : "steroids downloads resources over HTTP",
  "details" : "Affected versions of `steroids` insecurely download an executable over an unencrypted HTTP connection. \n\nIn scenarios where an attacker has a privileged network position, it is possible to intercept the response and replace the executable with a malicious one, resulting in code execution on the system running `steroids`.\n\n\n## Recommendation\n\nThis vulnerability was discovered and reported in 2016, yet has not seen a patch issued as of 03/2018. As of 08/2022, [the package is marked as deprecated](https://www.npmjs.com/package/steroids) and the GitHub repository is no longer publicly available.\n\nThe best path forward for mitigating this issue is to attempt to use an alternative module that is actively maintained and which provides similar functionality, such as the native PhoneGap API.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "steroids"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "4.1.27"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-10581"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/AppGyver/steroids"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/AppGyver/steroids/blob/master/package.json#L101"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/AppGyver/steroids/blob/master/package.json#L103-L104"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/AppGyver/steroids/blob/master/package.json#L74"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/168"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-311" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:16:36Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}