Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
pm2-kafka is a PM2 module that installs and runs Kafka. The CVE says it downloads binary resources over HTTP, allowing a network-positioned attacker to replace them in transit. That could lead to remote code execution. Exposure is specific to environments that install or use this Node module.
Executive priority
Treat this as a targeted dependency risk with potentially serious impact. It should be prioritized if pm2-kafka is present in production, CI, or privileged developer workflows. If the module is absent, business urgency is low after evidence is documented.
Technical view
CVE-2016-10693 is a CWE-311 issue in all versions of the pm2-kafka node module. Binary resources are fetched over HTTP rather than a protected channel. If an attacker can perform man-in-the-middle interception between the user and remote server, the downloaded resource could be swapped with attacker-controlled content, with possible RCE impact.
Likely exposure
Likely exposure is limited to systems, CI jobs, developer machines, or servers that install or run the pm2-kafka Node module. The source bundle lists all versions as affected and does not identify affected Kafka itself or unrelated PM2 modules.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show KEV listing or active exploitation. Exploitation requires an attacker positioned on the network path or otherwise able to intercept HTTP resource downloads. The reported impact is possible RCE through replacement of downloaded binary resources.
Researcher notes
Evidence is sparse: CVSS is not provided, all versions are listed as affected, and no patch version is named in the supplied sources. Do not infer compromise from presence alone; focus on confirming use, install paths, and whether HTTP-fetched binaries were involved.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory package manifests and lockfiles for pm2-kafka usage.
- Check the referenced advisory or vendor guidance before continued use.
- Remove or replace pm2-kafka where no secure maintained option exists.
- Restrict dependency installation to trusted networks and controlled build environments.
- Review CI and deployment jobs that install Node dependencies dynamically.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether pm2-kafka appears in direct or transitive dependencies.
- Identify systems that installed or ran the module historically.
- Review build logs for HTTP binary downloads linked to pm2-kafka.
- Verify dependency governance blocks reintroduction of the affected module.
- Document owners, exposure scope, and remediation status.
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-2016-10693 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/299CVE 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.