Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Some Node.js versions mishandled OpenSSL error state. A prior crypto operation could leave stale error data behind, causing later crypto work on the same thread to fail incorrectly. The practical risk described by the sources is denial of service, not data theft.
Executive priority
Treat this as a high-priority availability fix for exposed Node.js services. It is less urgent than confirmed exploited remote code execution, but the affected runtime is common and the remediation path is clear: upgrade affected Node.js versions.
Technical view
CVE-2023-23919 affects Node.js before 19.2.0, 18.14.1, 16.19.1, and 14.21.3. Node did not always clear the OpenSSL error stack after operations that may set it. Subsequent cryptographic operations on the same thread could see false-positive errors and fail, impacting availability.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely in services running vulnerable Node.js runtimes where untrusted users can trigger cryptographic operations, such as TLS, token, signing, encryption, or certificate-handling paths. Downstream products embedding Node.js may also be affected if vendor advisories confirm use.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or confirmed active exploitation. The CVSS vector indicates remote, unauthenticated, low-complexity availability impact, but the provided evidence does not establish exploit maturity or real-world abuse.
Researcher notes
The issue is classified under CWE-310 and centers on stale OpenSSL error-stack state, not cryptographic key disclosure. Evidence supports version-based exposure assessment. The provided sources do not include enough detail to prove exploitability for a specific application without checking reachable crypto paths and runtime versions.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade Node.js to 19.2.0, 18.14.1, 16.19.1, 14.21.3, or later supported releases.
- Prioritize internet-facing Node.js services and systems handling cryptographic workflows.
- Check vendor advisories for products that bundle or depend on Node.js.
- Redeploy containers, serverless functions, and build images using patched Node.js runtimes.
Validation and detection
- Inventory runtime versions across hosts, containers, CI images, and serverless deployments.
- Confirm production processes report patched Node.js versions after redeployment.
- Review SBOMs and vendor notices for embedded Node.js exposure.
- Run normal regression tests for authentication, TLS, signing, and encryption workflows.
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-310: Exact CWE lookup
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Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2023-23919 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
- High
- CVSS
- 7.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
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 vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H3.93.6Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.5HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://nodejs.org/en/blog/vulnerability/february-2023-security-releases/CVE reference
- https://hackerone.com/reports/1808596CVE reference
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20230316-0008/CVE reference
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.
Cryptographic Issues
Cryptographic Issues represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.