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CVE Record

CVE-2017-16078: shadowsock was a malicious module published with the intent to hijack environment variables.

shadowsock was a malicious module published with the intent to hijack environment variables. It has been unpublished by npm.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysishigh

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2017-16078 concerns a malicious npm module named shadowsock. The source says it was published to hijack environment variables and later unpublished by npm. Business risk is highest where the package was installed or cached, because environment variables commonly hold secrets such as tokens, credentials, and service configuration.

Executive priority

Treat as a supply-chain secret exposure issue. Prioritize confirmation of use, removal from dependency sources, and credential rotation where execution occurred. No active exploitation evidence is provided in the bundle.

Technical view

The affected component is the shadowsock Node module, all versions, categorized as CWE-506: embedded malicious code. The available source bundle does not describe the code path, payload behavior, network destination, or a vendor patch. It only states malicious intent against environment variables and npm unpublication.

Likely exposure

Exposure is likely limited to JavaScript projects, lockfiles, SBOMs, build caches, or private npm mirrors that include the shadowsock module. Systems that executed it with sensitive environment variables are the main concern.

Exploitation context

The bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or independent evidence of active exploitation. The risk comes from malicious package publication and possible execution in development, CI, build, or runtime environments before removal.

Researcher notes

Evidence is sparse. The source bundle identifies a malicious npm module and npm unpublication, but not technical indicators, affected version ranges beyond all versions, exploit mechanics, or remediation specifics. Avoid assuming compromise without installation or execution evidence.

Mitigation direction

  • Remove shadowsock from dependencies and lockfiles if present.
  • Purge the package from private registries, caches, and build images.
  • Rotate secrets exposed to environments where the module ran.
  • Review npm and vendor guidance for any newer advisory details.
  • Replace functionality only after validating the package source and maintainer history.

Validation and detection

  • Search package manifests, lockfiles, and SBOMs for shadowsock.
  • Check CI logs and build images for historical installation evidence.
  • Identify environments that executed the package with secrets present.
  • Review dependency proxy or private registry records for cached copies.
  • Confirm secrets rotated after any confirmed execution exposure.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
3

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

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ATT&CK lookup starting points

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cwe · low confidence lookup

CWE-506: Exact CWE lookup

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cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2017-16078 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
Official CVE source material

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.

0CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
2Source links

CVSS and timeline data

No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
HackerOneshadowsock node moduleAll versionsListed
Weakness

CWE details

CWE-506

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.