CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2019-16776 — Versions of the npm CLI prior to 6.13.3 are vulnerable to an Arbitrary File Write

High CVSS 8.1

Versions of the npm CLI prior to 6.13.3 are vulnerable to an Arbitrary File Write. It fails to prevent access to folders outside of the intended node_modules folder through the bin field. A properly constructed entry in the package.json bin field would allow a package publisher to modify and/or gain access to arbitrary files on a user's system when the package is installed. This behavior is still possible through install scripts. This vulnerability bypasses a user using the --ignore-scripts install option.

Severity
High
CVSS
8.1 (3.1)
Published
2019-12-13
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
javascript/npm
Weaknesses
CWE-22

Affected products

  • npmjs / npm
  • opensuse / leap / 15.1
  • oracle / graalvm / 19.3.0.2
  • fedoraproject / fedora / 31
  • redhat / enterprise_linux / 8.0
  • redhat / enterprise_linux_eus / 8.1

Matched remediation archetype

Path traversal, unsafe upload, and file handling

This catalog composition supplies bounded fallback guidance. Explicitly reviewed curated workflows load with the complete record below.

Check exposure

  • Trace untrusted filenames, archive entries, URLs, and path segments into read, write, include, extraction, and upload operations.
  • Identify filesystem roots, mount permissions, symbolic-link behavior, archive handling, and whether uploaded content is web-accessible or executable.
  • Review canonicalization and containment checks across supported operating systems and storage backends.

Remediate safely

  • Generate server-side storage identifiers and resolve paths beneath a fixed root using filesystem-aware containment checks.
  • Reject absolute, parent-relative, alternate-separator, device, link, and archive entries that escape the intended root.
  • Store uploads outside executable or served paths, validate type and size, and use private atomic temporary files.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

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