# CVE-2018-7161: Use after free in Node.js

> An attacker can crash an HTTP/2 server by triggering a use-after-free bug in the Node.js runtime, causing a denial of service.

- **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:** Yes
- **Published:** 13 Jun 2018
- **Updated:** 8 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** ALPINE-CVE-2018-7161, CLEANSTART-2026-BY44512, CLEANSTART-2026-SI43260, DEBIAN-CVE-2018-7161, GHSA-jfr7-p3h5-mh28, UBUNTU-CVE-2018-7161

## What is CVE-2018-7161?

CVE-2018-7161 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Nodejs Node.js, published on 13 Jun 2018. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

All versions of Node.js 8.x, 9.x, and 10.x are vulnerable and the severity is HIGH. An attacker can cause a denial of service (DoS) by causing a node server providing an http2 server to crash. This can be accomplished by interacting with the http2 server in a manner that triggers a cleanup bug where objects are used in native code after they are no longer available. This has been addressed by updating the http2 implementation.

Weakness: CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-7161?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Nodejs Node.js.

## How do I fix CVE-2018-7161?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2018-7161 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-7161 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Nodejs Node.js

- [CVE-2023-32002](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-32002/): Security feature bypass in Node (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2016-6303](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-6303/): Integer overflow in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2017-15896](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-15896/): Security feature bypass in Node.js (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2018-7160](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-7160/): Server-side request forgery in Node.js (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2018-12120](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-12120/): Misconfiguration in Node.js (high 8.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2018-7161 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2018-7161 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Nodejs Node.js, published on 13 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-2018-7161 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Nodejs Node.js. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

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-2018-7161/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-7161/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-7161
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-7161
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2018-7161

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-7161/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.