Unintended file access via truncated wildcard restrictions
Published Feb 20, 2024 · Updated Apr 30, 2025
Improper wildcard handling in Node.js 20 before 20.11.1 and 21 before 21.6.2 allows local users to access unintended files. The --allow-fs-read and --allow-fs-write handlers treat a nonterminal wildcard as a directory-prefix match and ignore the remaining suffix. Exploitation requires the experimental Permission Model and an operator-supplied wildcard restriction; affected code can read or write files beyond that restriction.
Summary
What happened
Improper wildcard handling in Node.js 20 before 20.11.1 and 21 before 21.6.2 allows local users to access unintended files. The --allow-fs-read and --allow-fs-write handlers treat a nonterminal wildcard as a directory-prefix match and ignore the remaining suffix. Exploitation requires the experimental Permission Model and an operator-supplied wildcard restriction; affected code can read or write files beyond that restriction.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2024-21890
- Published
- Feb 20, 2024
- Updated
- Apr 30, 2025
- Vendor
- Node.js
- Product
- Node.js
- Classifications
- T1565.001, T1005
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Feb 20, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Apr 30, 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=16.0 <16.*
- Affected versionversion=17.0 <17.*
- Affected versionversion=19.0 <19.*
- Affected versionversion=20.0 <20.11.1
- Affected versionversion=21.0 <21.6.2
- 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.
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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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