How severe is CVE-2017-15897?

CVE-2017-15897 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 3.1, rated low severity. It is exploitable over network with high attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is low, integrity none, and availability none.

Is CVE-2017-15897 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (81st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2017-15897?

CVE-2017-15897 primarily affects Nodejs Node.js. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2017-15897?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2017-15897 published?

CVE-2017-15897 was published on 2017-12-11 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2017-15897

CVE-2017-15897 is a low-severity vulnerability in Nodejs Node.js with a CVSS 3.x base score of 3.1. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-665.

Key facts

Severity: Low (CVSS 3.x base score 3.1)
CVSS v2: 4.3
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (81st percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-665
Affected product: Nodejs Node.js
Published: 2017-12-11
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Node.js had a bug in versions 8.X and 9.X which caused buffers to not be initialized when the encoding for the fill value did not match the encoding specified. For example, 'Buffer.alloc(0x100, "This is not correctly encoded", "hex");' The buffer implementation was updated such that the buffer will be initialized to all zeros in these cases.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2017-15897?: Node.js had a bug in versions 8.X and 9.X which caused buffers to not be initialized when the encoding for the fill value did not match the encoding specified. For example, 'Buffer.alloc(0x100, "This is not correctly encoded", "hex");' The buffer implementation was updated such that the buffer will be initialized to all zeros in these cases.
How severe is CVE-2017-15897?: CVE-2017-15897 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 3.1, rated low severity. It is exploitable over network with high attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is low, integrity none, and availability none.
Is CVE-2017-15897 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (81st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2017-15897?: CVE-2017-15897 primarily affects Nodejs Node.js. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2017-15897?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2017-15897 published?: CVE-2017-15897 was published on 2017-12-11 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://nodejs.org/en/blog/vulnerability/december-2017-security-releases/

Affected products (2)

cpe:2.3:a:nodejs:node.js:*:*:*:*:-:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:nodejs:node.js:*:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*

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