CVE-2023-30585
No exploitation reported by the sources we read.
- Published2023-11-28
- Fixed in20.3.1 · 18.16.1 · 16.20.1
Am I affected?
Debian, Ubuntu or Red Hat sometimes backport a fix without changing the upstream version number: such a version reads « to verify », never « affected ».With a domain, we read the version its public headers and pages expose. A distribution build can carry the fix under an older number.
Description
A vulnerability has been identified in the Node.js (.msi version) installation process, specifically affecting Windows users who install Node.js using the .msi installer. This vulnerability emerges during the repair operation, where the "msiexec.exe" process, running under the NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM context, attempts to read the %USERPROFILE% environment variable from the current user's registry. The issue arises when the path referenced by the %USERPROFILE% environment variable does not exist. In such cases, the "msiexec.exe" process attempts to create the specified path in an unsafe manner, potentially leading to the creation of arbitrary folders in arbitrary locations. The severity of this vulnerability is heightened by the fact that the %USERPROFILE% environment variable in the Windows registry can be modified by standard (or "non-privileged") users. Consequently, unprivileged actors, including malicious entities or trojans, can manipulate the environment variable key to deceive the privileged "msiexec.exe" process. This manipulation can result in the creation of folders in unintended and potentially malicious locations. It is important to note that this vulnerability is specific to Windows users who install Node.js using the .msi installer. Users who opt for other installation methods are not affected by this particular issue.
Timeline
dates in UTC- 2023-11-2802:15CVE publishedNVD
Observed activity
isMalicious corpus · updated 2026-10-23 18:48 UTCBlock these indicators
- Firewall list (EDL, text): https://api.ismalicious.com/edl/cve/CVE-2023-30585?format=txt
- CSV export: https://api.ismalicious.com/edl/cve/CVE-2023-30585?format=csv
- TAXII collection of exploited CVEs
- The EDL and CSV take an API key on the Pro plan.
Versions per branch
NVD| Branch | Affected | Fixed in | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20.x | ≥ 20.0.0, < 20.3.1 | 20.3.1 | NVD |
| 18.x | ≥ 18.0.0, < 18.16.1 | 18.16.1 | NVD |
| 16.x | ≥ 16.0.0, < 16.20.1 | 16.20.1 | NVD |
as publishedRanges as NVD and OSV publish them; a distribution’s build can be fixed under an older number.
Fix
- Update Node.js to 20.3.1 · 18.16.1 · 16.20.1
Advisories and patches
- nodejs.orgVendor Advisory
Detection
- Nuclei template
- none so far ProjectDiscovery
- Exploit-DB
- no entry Exploit-DB
- Proof-of-concept repositories
- none listed PoC-in-GitHub
Sources
- CISA-ADPSSVC decisionnone2026-10-08
- OpenCVESSVC decisionnone—
- NVDCVSS 3.17.5read 2026-10-23
- FIRST EPSSEPSS score1.5 %2026-10-22
Technical details
- CVSS v3 Vector
- CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
- Published
- 2023-11-28
- Last Modified
- 2026-10-08
- NVD status
- Modified
Frequently asked questions
What is CVE-2023-30585?
Is CVE-2023-30585 actively exploited?
What is the CVSS score for CVE-2023-30585?
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