When an invalid public key is used to create an x509 certificate using the crypto.X509Certificate() API a non-expect termination occurs making it susceptible to DoS attacks when the attacker could force interruptions of application processing, as the process terminates when accessing public key info of provided certificates from user code. The current context of the users will be gone, and that will cause a DoS scenario. This vulnerability affects all active Node.js versions v16, v18, and, v20.
This vulnerability carries a MEDIUM severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 5.3, indicating it can be exploited remotely over the network with relatively low complexity without requiring user interaction and does not require pre-existing privileges . The vulnerability impacts and limited availability for affected systems. Impacting 1 product from nodejs organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.
Reported in 2023, this vulnerability emerged during an era marked by increased sophistication in supply chain attacks, cloud infrastructure vulnerabilities, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) security challenges. Security practices during this period emphasized zero-trust architectures, container security, and API protection.
2023-11-28T20:15:07.437
2025-11-03T22:16:10.027
Modified
CVSSv3.1: 5.3 (MEDIUM)
| Type | Vendor | Product | Version/Range | Vulnerable? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application | nodejs | node.js | < 16.20.1 | Yes |
| Application | nodejs | node.js | < 18.16.1 | Yes |
| Application | nodejs | node.js | < 20.3.1 | Yes |
SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For nodejs's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.