HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2019-16775
MEDIUM

CVE-2019-16775

CWE-61Published: December 13, 2019· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

6.5
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

Versions of the npm CLI prior to 6.13.3 are vulnerable to an Arbitrary File Write. It is possible for packages to create symlinks to files outside of thenode_modules folder through the bin field upon installation. A properly constructed entry in the package.json bin field would allow a package publisher to create a symlink pointing to arbitrary files on a user's system when the package is installed. This behavior is still possible through install scripts. This vulnerability bypasses a user using the --ignore-scripts install option.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2019-16775 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

Exploitation requires low privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.

A successful exploit results in full integrity compromise (data manipulation), with a CVSS base score of 6.5.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.Low
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityNone
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityNone
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N

Affected Vendors & Products

Fedora1 product(s)
fedora
npmjs1 product(s)
npm
openSUSE1 product(s)
leap
Oracle1 product(s)
graalvm
Red Hat2 product(s)
enterprise linuxenterprise linux eus
Source: NVD CPE · 8 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

ADVISORYhttp://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-01/msg00027.html
ADVISORYhttps://access.redhat.com/errata/RHEA-2020:0330
ADVISORYhttps://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2020:0573
ADVISORYhttps://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2020:0579
ADVISORYhttps://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2020:0597
ADVISORYhttps://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2020:0602
ADVISORYhttps://blog.npmjs.org/post/189618601100/binary-planting-with-the-npm-cli
ADVISORYhttps://github.com/npm/cli/security/advisories/GHSA-m6cx-g6qm-p2cx
ADVISORYhttps://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2020.html
ADVISORYhttps://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2021.html
ADVISORYhttp://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-01/msg00027.html
ADVISORYhttps://access.redhat.com/errata/RHEA-2020:0330
ADVISORYhttps://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2020:0573
ADVISORYhttps://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2020:0579
ADVISORYhttps://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2020:0597
ADVISORYhttps://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2020:0602
ADVISORYhttps://blog.npmjs.org/post/189618601100/binary-planting-with-the-npm-cli
ADVISORYhttps://github.com/npm/cli/security/advisories/GHSA-m6cx-g6qm-p2cx
ADVISORYhttps://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2020.html
ADVISORYhttps://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2021.html

All References (22)

→
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-01/msg00027.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHEA-2020:0330Third Party Advisory
→
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2020:0573Third Party Advisory
→
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2020:0579Third Party Advisory
→
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2020:0597Third Party Advisory
→
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2020:0602Third Party Advisory
→
https://blog.npmjs.org/post/189618601100/binary-planting-with-the-npm-cliThird Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/npm/cli/security/advisories/GHSA-m6cx-g6qm-p2cxThird Party Advisory
→
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/Z36UKPO5F3PQ3Q2POMF5LEKXWAH5RUFP/
→
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2020.htmlThird Party Advisory
→
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2021.htmlThird Party Advisory
→
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-01/msg00027.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHEA-2020:0330Third Party Advisory
→
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2020:0573Third Party Advisory
→
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2020:0579Third Party Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2019-16775
CVSS Score6.5 / 10
SeverityMEDIUM
WeaknessCWE-61
CISA KEVNo
Affected5 vendor(s)
PublishedDec 13, 2019

Related CVEs (CWE-61)

CVE-2025-62161
10.0
CVE-2025-62596
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CVE-2025-23394
9.8
CVE-2024-54661
9.8
CVE-2026-55447
9.6
CVE-2025-68937
9.5

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2019-16775 in threat intel feeds
  • →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWatch. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
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