CVE-2023-26111: Node static Path Traversal Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-5g97-whc9-8g7j
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-26111 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Node static libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves node-static and @nubosoftware/node-static vulnerable to directory traversal. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2023-26111 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-26111
GHSA Identifier GHSA-5g97-whc9-8g7j
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 Node static
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: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-2023-26111

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

node-static fixed: Latest secure release 
npm install node-static@Latest secure release
@nubosoftware/node-static fixed: Latest secure release 
npm install @nubosoftware/node-static@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 node-static

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2023-26111, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls node-static

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Node static 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 node-static 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 Node static, 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

node-static and its fork, @nubosoftware/node-static, are vulnerable to Directory Traversal due to improper file path sanitization in the startsWith() method in the servePath function.

CVE-2023-26111 Affected Node static Versions

2 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
node-static
npm/node-static
npm
≤ 0.7.11
@nubosoftware/node-static
npm/@nubosoftware/node-static
npm
≤ 0.7.11

References

NVD — CVE-2023-26111 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-26111
Node static Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://gist.github.com/lirantal/c80b28e7bee148dc287339cb483e42bc
Node static Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/cloudhead/node-static
Node static Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/cloudhead/node-static/blob/master/lib/node-static.js#23L160-L163
Node static Security Information SECURITY
https://security.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-NODESTATIC-3149928
Node static Security Information SECURITY
https://security.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-NUBOSOFTWARENODESTATIC-3149927

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-26111?
CVE-2023-26111 is a security vulnerability in Node static involving node-static and @nubosoftware/node-static vulnerable to Directory Traversal under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Node static versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: node-static, @nubosoftware/node-static.
What version fixes CVE-2023-26111?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is node-static affected?
Yes, node-static is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
Is @nubosoftware/node-static affected?
Yes, @nubosoftware/node-static 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-2023-26111?
CVE-2023-26111 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:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-26111?
CVE-2023-26111 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-2023-26111?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls node-static'. 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-5g97-whc9-8g7j",
  "modified" : "2025-09-26T21:58:15Z",
  "published" : "2023-03-06T06:30:18Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-26111" ],
  "summary" : "node-static and @nubosoftware/node-static vulnerable to Directory Traversal",
  "details" : "node-static and its fork, @nubosoftware/node-static, are vulnerable to Directory Traversal due to improper file path sanitization in the startsWith() method in the servePath function.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "node-static"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "0.7.11"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "@nubosoftware/node-static"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "0.7.11"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-26111"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://gist.github.com/lirantal/c80b28e7bee148dc287339cb483e42bc"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/cloudhead/node-static"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/cloudhead/node-static/blob/master/lib/node-static.js#23L160-L163"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-NODESTATIC-3149928"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-NUBOSOFTWARENODESTATIC-3149927"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-03-07T20:28:43Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-03-06T05:15:00Z"
  }
}