CVE-2023-30586: Node.js

High severity, CVSS 7.5. EPSS: 1.3% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in Node.js 20 that allowed loading arbitrary OpenSSL engines when the experimental permission model is enabled, which can bypass and/or disable the permission model. The attack complexity is high. However, the crypto.setEngine() API can be used to bypass the permission model when called with a compatible OpenSSL engine. The OpenSSL engine can, for example, disable the permission model in the host process by manipulating the process's stack memory to locate the permission model Permission::enabled_ in the host process's heap memory. Please note that at the time this CVE was issued, the permission model is an experimental feature of Node.js.

Affected products

• Node.js Node.js: from 20.0.0, before 20.3.1 (fixed in 20.3.1)

Published 2023-07-01. Last modified 2026-06-17.