Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This CVE affects older appium-chromedriver Node.js module versions that downloaded Chromedriver over unencrypted HTTP. An attacker positioned on the network could replace the downloaded binary, potentially leading to code execution in developer, CI, or test environments. The source bundle does not show active exploitation.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation where this dependency runs in CI, build, or shared developer networks. The business risk is unauthorized code execution through dependency download tampering, but evidence of active exploitation is not provided.
Technical view
appium-chromedriver versions below 2.9.4 use HTTP for binary resource downloads. Because transport encryption is absent, a man-in-the-middle could tamper with the binary retrieved by the module. The reported weakness maps to CWE-311 and may allow RCE if the substituted binary is later executed.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely in Node.js projects, mobile test automation stacks, CI pipelines, or developer workstations using appium-chromedriver below 2.9.4.
Exploitation context
The cited description requires an attacker to be on the network path or otherwise between the user and remote server during binary download. KEV is false, and no cited source in the bundle confirms exploitation in the wild.
Researcher notes
The available evidence is concise: affected version threshold, HTTP binary download behavior, MITM prerequisite, and possible RCE impact. CVSS is not supplied, and the bundle does not include proof-of-concept, patch details beyond the version threshold, or exploitation telemetry.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade appium-chromedriver to version 2.9.4 or later.
- Check vendor or npm advisory guidance for current remediation notes.
- Rebuild CI and developer environments after removing vulnerable cached binaries.
- Prefer encrypted, verified artifact download paths for build dependencies.
Validation and detection
- Review dependency manifests and lockfiles for appium-chromedriver versions below 2.9.4.
- Check CI images and build caches for bundled vulnerable appium-chromedriver installations.
- Confirm dependency updates resolve to 2.9.4 or later.
- Document any remaining legacy use and compensating network controls.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-311: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupExecution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2016-10557 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://nodesecurity.io/advisories/162CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Missing Encryption of Sensitive Data
Missing Encryption of Sensitive Data represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.