Vulnerabilities in pkg:npm/ms

PACKAGE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-w9mr-4mfr-499f
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Advisory Summary

CVE-2017-20162 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.3) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-1333: Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity) affecting Ms libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves vercel ms inefficient regular expression complexity vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.0.0.

2 Known Advisory Record(s)
Package Vulnerability Intelligence

pkg:npm/ms

2 Known Advisory Record(s)

Vulnerability advisories affecting package pkg:npm/ms. Select an advisory below to view technical details or fixes.

Advisory ID CVE / NVD Severity Summary
GHSA-w9mr-4mfr-499f CVE-2017-20162 MODERATE Vercel ms Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity vulnerability
GHSA-3fx5-fwvr-xrjg CVE-2015-8315 HIGH Regular Expression Denial of Service in ms

CVE-2017-20162 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2017-20162
GHSA Identifier GHSA-w9mr-4mfr-499f
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.3
CWE Classification CWE-1333: Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity
Affected Product Ms
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.3

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:L).

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 Low (A:L)

How to Fix CVE-2017-20162

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

ms fixed: 2.0.0 
npm install ms@2.0.0
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 ms

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2017-20162, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls ms

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Ms in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.0.0), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls ms 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-1333: Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity, where the product uses a regular expression with a worst-case computational complexity that is inefficient and possibly exponential. In Ms, 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

A vulnerability, which was classified as problematic, has been found in vercel ms up to 1.x. This issue affects the function parse of the file index.js. The manipulation of the argument str leads to inefficient regular expression complexity. The attack may be initiated remotely. The exploit has been disclosed to the public and may be used. Upgrading to version 2.0.0 is able to address this issue. The name of the patch is caae2988ba2a37765d055c4eee63d383320ee662. It is recommended to upgrade the affected component. The associated identifier of this vulnerability is VDB-217451.

CVE-2017-20162 Affected Ms Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.0.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
ms
npm/ms
npm
< 2.0.0
2.0.0

References

NVD — CVE-2017-20162 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-20162
Ms Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/vercel/ms/pull/89
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/vercel/ms/commit/caae2988ba2a37765d055c4eee63d383320ee662
Ms Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/vercel/ms
Ms Release RELEASE
https://github.com/vercel/ms/releases/tag/2.0.0
Ms Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20241108-0002
vuldb.com/ WEB
https://vuldb.com/?ctiid.217451
vuldb.com/ WEB
https://vuldb.com/?id.217451

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2017-20162?
CVE-2017-20162 is a security vulnerability in Ms involving Vercel ms Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity vulnerability under CWE-1333: Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity.
Which Ms versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.0.0 across affected packages: ms.
What version fixes CVE-2017-20162?
Upgrading to 2.0.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is ms affected?
Yes, ms is affected in releases prior to 2.0.0. Upgrade your dependency to 2.0.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2017-20162?
CVE-2017-20162 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.3 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2017-20162?
CVE-2017-20162 is classified under CWE-1333: Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity (The product uses a regular expression with a worst-case computational complexity that is inefficient and possibly exponential.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2017-20162?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls ms'. 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-w9mr-4mfr-499f",
  "modified" : "2025-11-04T16:42:14Z",
  "published" : "2023-01-05T12:30:27Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2017-20162" ],
  "summary" : "Vercel ms Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity vulnerability",
  "details" : "A vulnerability, which was classified as problematic, has been found in vercel ms up to 1.x. This issue affects the function parse of the file index.js. The manipulation of the argument str leads to inefficient regular expression complexity. The attack may be initiated remotely. The exploit has been disclosed to the public and may be used. Upgrading to version 2.0.0 is able to address this issue. The name of the patch is caae2988ba2a37765d055c4eee63d383320ee662. It is recommended to upgrade the affected component. The associated identifier of this vulnerability is VDB-217451.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "ms"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.0.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-20162"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/vercel/ms/pull/89"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/vercel/ms/commit/caae2988ba2a37765d055c4eee63d383320ee662"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/vercel/ms"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/vercel/ms/releases/tag/2.0.0"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20241108-0002"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://vuldb.com/?ctiid.217451"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://vuldb.com/?id.217451"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-1333" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-01-10T21:45:33Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-01-05T12:15:00Z"
  }
}