CVE-2023-23920 Path traversal in Node

Q: Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-23920?

2 open source packages ship an affected version, including node and node-min. It affects 2 products.

Q: Is CVE-2023-23920 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-23920 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Q: How do I fix CVE-2023-23920?

Upgrade node to a fixed version for your release line: 14.21.3, 16.19.1, 18.14.1 or 19.6.1.

Medium 4.2 Published 23 Feb 2023 Updated 30 Apr 2025

An attacker can load malicious ICU data via untrusted search paths in Node.js, potentially leading to code execution or privilege escalation.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: An administrator
Attackable: Local or same network only
Victim action needed: A user has to click or open something
Fix: Available

What is CVE-2023-23920?

CVE-2023-23920 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 23 Feb 2023. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

Official description

An untrusted search path vulnerability exists in Node.js. <19.6.1, <18.14.1, <16.19.1, and <14.21.3 that could allow an attacker to search and potentially load ICU data when running with elevated privileges.

Weakness: CWE-426

Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-23920?

2 open source packages ship an affected version, including node and node-min. It affects 2 products.

Package	Affected	Fixed in
`node` Bitnami	From `14.0.0`	`14.21.3, 16.19.1, 18.14.1, 19.6.1`
`node-min` Bitnami	From `14.0.0`	`14.21.3, 16.19.1, 18.14.1, 19.6.1`

Linux distribution packages (19)

`nodejs10` SUSE:Enterprise Storage 7	All versions	`10.24.1-150000.1.56.1`
`nodejs12` SUSE:Enterprise Storage 7	All versions	`12.22.12-150200.4.44.1`
`nodejs12` SUSE:Enterprise Storage 7.1	All versions	`12.22.12-150200.4.44.1`
`nodejs10` SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP1-LTSS	All versions	`10.24.1-150000.1.56.1`
`nodejs10` SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP2-LTSS	All versions	`10.24.1-150000.1.56.1`
`nodejs12` SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP2-LTSS	All versions	`12.22.12-150200.4.44.1`
`nodejs12` SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP3-ESPOS	All versions	`12.22.12-150200.4.44.1`
`nodejs12` SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP3-LTSS	All versions	`12.22.12-150200.4.44.1`
`nodejs10` SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1-LTSS	All versions	`10.24.1-150000.1.56.1`
`nodejs10` SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2-LTSS	All versions	`10.24.1-150000.1.56.1`
`nodejs12` SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2-LTSS	All versions	`12.22.12-150200.4.44.1`
`nodejs12` SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP3-LTSS	All versions	`12.22.12-150200.4.44.1`
`nodejs10` SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP1	All versions	`10.24.1-150000.1.56.1`
`nodejs10` SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP2	All versions	`10.24.1-150000.1.56.1`
`nodejs12` SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP2	All versions	`12.22.12-150200.4.44.1`
`nodejs12` SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP3	All versions	`12.22.12-150200.4.44.1`
`nodejs12` SUSE:Manager Server 4.2	All versions	`12.22.12-150200.4.44.1`
`nodejs10` openSUSE:Leap 15.4	All versions	`10.24.1-150000.1.56.1`
`nodejs12` openSUSE:Leap 15.4	All versions	`12.22.12-150200.4.44.1`

Products include Debian Debian Linux, Nodejs Node.js.

How do I fix CVE-2023-23920?

Upgrade node to a fixed version for your release line: 14.21.3, 16.19.1, 18.14.1 or 19.6.1.

Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.

Is CVE-2023-23920 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-23920 in the wild and no public exploit code.

All Debian Debian Linux vulnerabilities

Sources

Also known as ALPINE-CVE-2023-23920, BIT-node-2023-23920, BIT-node-min-2023-23920, CLEANSTART-2026-FM96299, CLEANSTART-2026-SB43839, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-23920 and 5 more.