CVE-2017-16196: Quickserver Path Traversal Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-78h7-fgq9-625x
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2017-16196 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Quickserver libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves directory traversal in quickserver. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2017-16196 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2017-16196
GHSA Identifier GHSA-78h7-fgq9-625x
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Affected Product Quickserver
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:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).

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 None (I:N)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2017-16196

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

quickserver fixed: Latest secure release 
npm install quickserver@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 quickserver

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2017-16196, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls quickserver

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Quickserver 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 quickserver 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-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal'), where the product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory. In Quickserver, 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 `quickserver` resolve relative file paths, resulting in a directory traversal vulnerability. A malicious actor can use this vulnerability to access files outside of the intended directory root, which may result in the disclosure of private files on the vulnerable system. **Example request:** ```http GET /../../../../../../../../../../etc/passwd HTTP/1.1 host:foo ``` ## Recommendation No patch is available for this vulnerability. It is recommended that the package is only used for local development, and if the functionality is needed for production, a different package is used instead.

CVE-2017-16196 Affected Quickserver Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
quickserver
npm/quickserver
npm
≤ 1.1.0

References

NVD — CVE-2017-16196 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-16196
Quickserver Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/JacksonGL/NPM-Vuln-PoC/blob/master/directory-traversal/quickserver
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-78h7-fgq9-625x
www.npmjs.com/advisories/433 WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/433

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2017-16196?
CVE-2017-16196 is a security vulnerability in Quickserver involving Directory Traversal in quickserver under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Quickserver versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: quickserver.
What version fixes CVE-2017-16196?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is quickserver affected?
Yes, quickserver 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-2017-16196?
CVE-2017-16196 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2017-16196?
CVE-2017-16196 is classified under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') (The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2017-16196?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls quickserver'. 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-78h7-fgq9-625x",
  "modified" : "2023-09-11T16:38:49Z",
  "published" : "2018-07-23T20:40:14Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2017-16196" ],
  "summary" : "Directory Traversal in quickserver",
  "details" : "Affected versions of `quickserver` resolve relative file paths, resulting in a directory traversal vulnerability. A malicious actor can use this vulnerability to access files outside of the intended directory root, which may result in the disclosure of private files on the vulnerable system.\n\n**Example request:**\n```http\nGET /../../../../../../../../../../etc/passwd HTTP/1.1\nhost:foo\n```\n\n\n## Recommendation\n\nNo patch is available for this vulnerability.\n\nIt is recommended that the package is only used for local development, and if the functionality is needed for production, a different package is used instead.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "quickserver"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "1.1.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-16196"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/JacksonGL/NPM-Vuln-PoC/blob/master/directory-traversal/quickserver"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-78h7-fgq9-625x"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/433"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:22:07Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}