# CVE-2017-16116: Regular Expression Denial of Service in string package

> Attackers can cause denial of service in applications using the string module by sending crafted input to specific methods.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 7 Jun 2018
- **Updated:** 16 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-g36h-6r4f-3mqp

## What is CVE-2017-16116?

CVE-2017-16116 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in HackerOne string node module, published on 7 Jun 2018. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The string module is a module that provides extra string operations. The string module is vulnerable to regular expression denial of service when specifically crafted untrusted user input is passed into the underscore or unescapeHTML methods.

Weakness: CWE-400 (Uncontrolled Resource Consumption)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2017-16116?

2 open source packages ship an affected version, including string. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `string` | npm | All versions to 3.3.3 | None |
| `string` | npm | All versions to 3.3.3 | None |

Products: String Project String.

## How do I fix CVE-2017-16116?

No fix has been published for CVE-2017-16116 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2017-16116 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2017-16116 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2017-16116 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2017-16116 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in HackerOne string node module, published on 7 Jun 2018. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2017-16116 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- string (npm): affected all versions up to 3.3.3; no fix listed
- string (npm): affected all versions up to 3.3.3; no fix listed

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-16116/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-16116/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2017-16116
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-16116
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2017-16116

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-16116/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.