Unauthorized directory creation via unvalidated mkdtemp prefix
Published Aug 15, 2023 · Updated Jul 3, 2025
Path traversal in Node.js 20.0.0 through 20.5.0 allows attackers to create directories outside permitted paths via fs.mkdtemp APIs. The fs.mkdtemp() and fs.mkdtempSync() implementations passed an unnormalized prefix to the permission check because both omitted getValidatedPath(). Exploitation requires an application using the experimental permission model and passing an attacker-controlled traversal prefix; the consequence is unauthorized directory creation.
Summary
What happened
Path traversal in Node.js 20.0.0 through 20.5.0 allows attackers to create directories outside permitted paths via fs.mkdtemp APIs. The fs.mkdtemp() and fs.mkdtempSync() implementations passed an unnormalized prefix to the permission check because both omitted getValidatedPath(). Exploitation requires an application using the experimental permission model and passing an attacker-controlled traversal prefix; the consequence is unauthorized directory creation.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-32003
- Published
- Aug 15, 2023
- Updated
- Jul 3, 2025
- Vendor
- Node.js
- Product
- Node.js
- Classifications
- CWE-22
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 15, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jul 3, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=10.0 <10.*
- Affected versionversion=11.0 <11.*
- Affected versionversion=12.0 <12.*
- Affected versionversion=13.0 <13.*
- Affected versionversion=14.0 <14.*
- Affected versionversion=15.0 <15.*
- Affected versionversion=17.0 <17.*
- Affected versionversion=19.0 <19.*
- Affected versionversion=20.0 <20.5.1
- Affected versionversion=4.0 <4.*
- Affected versionversion=5.0 <5.*
- Affected versionversion=6.0 <6.*
- Affected versionversion=7.0 <7.*
- Affected versionversion=8.0 <8.*
- Affected versionversion=9.0 <9.*
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- Node.js fs-traversal regression testproof of concept · demonstrated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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