CVE-2023-38552
HIGHDescription
When the Node.js policy feature checks the integrity of a resource against a trusted manifest, the application can intercept the operation and return a forged checksum to the node's policy implementation, thus effectively disabling the integrity check. Impacts: This vulnerability affects all users using the experimental policy mechanism in all active release lines: 18.x and, 20.x. Please note that at the time this CVE was issued, the policy mechanism is an experimental feature of Node.js.
How to fix
TridentStack Control can deploy fixes like this automatically across your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet. See how it works
Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.
CVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Exploit Intelligence
Moderate risk: more likely to be exploited than 63% of all known CVEs.
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-345 vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2023-38831 | High | 7.8 | 98% | KEV + Ransom | Fix |
| CVE-2016-4553 | High | 8.6 | 80% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2016-4554 | High | 8.6 | 39% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2023-35719 | Medium | 6.8 | 26% | - | - |
| CVE-2022-26871 | Critical | 9.8 | 20% | KEV | - |
| CVE-2014-4936 | High | 9.3 | 17% | - | - |
Common questions
How do I fix CVE-2023-38552?
Published advisories record a fix for 21 affected products. The "How to fix" section on this page lists the fixed version and source advisory for each one, so apply the entry matching what you actually run.
Is CVE-2023-38552 being actively exploited?
Not that we know of. CVE-2023-38552 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 1.1% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 63% of all scored CVEs.
How severe is CVE-2023-38552?
CVE-2023-38552 has a CVSS v3 base score of 7.5, rated high. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.
What does CVE-2023-38552 affect?
Published advisories record a fix for nodejs (Debian), nodejs (Red Hat / RHEL), nodejs (Rocky), nodejs-debuginfo (Rocky), and 17 more. Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.
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This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2025-11-03.