CVE-2021-43616

CRITICALNVD 9.09.8▲
EchelonGraph scoreMEDIUM confidence

Score 9.8 from GitHub Security Advisory (severity: CRITICAL) published 2022-05-24. NVD baseline CVSS 9.0; sources differ by 0.8.

Triggered by: GitHub Security Advisory CVSS
Sources: epss, ghsa, nvd
Elevated
9.8EG
EchelonGraph verdictPlan a fixSerious severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet.
  • High severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet
CISA-KEV: Not listedEPSS PROB: 3%CVSS: 9.0Exploit: Elevated riskExposed: 0

A fix is available — apply it.

The npm ci command in npm 7.x and 8.x through 8.1.3 proceeds with an installation even if dependency information in package-lock.json differs from package.json. This behavior is inconsistent with the documentation, and makes it easier for attackers to install malware that was supposed to have been blocked by an exact version match requirement in package-lock.json. NOTE: The npm team believes this is not a vulnerability. It would require someone to socially engineer package.json which has different dependencies than package-lock.json. That user would have to have file system or write access to change dependencies. The npm team states preventing malicious actors from socially engineering or gaining file system access is outside the scope of the npm CLI.

CVSS v3
9.0
EG Score
9.8(medium)
EG Risk
65(Track*)
EG Risk 65/100SSVC: Track*

EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score: it fuses intrinsic severity with real-world exploitation and automatability so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner. Distinct from the 0–10 EG Score (severity).

How it’s computed
Severity98% × 45%
Exploitation40% × 40%
Automatability30% × 15%
Action: Watch closely — could escalate to Attend.
EPSS PROB
3%
EPSS %ILE
83%
KEV
Not listed

Published

November 13, 2021

Last Modified

November 21, 2024

Advisory Details (9)

Auto-updated Jul 26, 2026
Patch available. Sources: github_commit.
generic

NetApp Product Security

https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20211210-0002/
generic

[SECURITY] Fedora 35 Update: nodejs-16.14.0-2.fc35 - package-announce - Fedora mailing-lists

https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/NXNVFKOF5ZYH5NIRWHKN6O6UBCHDV6FE/
generic

[BUG] `npm ci` succeeds when `package-lock.json` doesn't match `package.json` · Issue #2701 · npm/cli · GitHub

https://github.com/npm/cli/issues/2701#issuecomment-979054224
generic

[BUG] `npm ci` succeeds when `package-lock.json` doesn't match `package.json` · Issue #2701 · npm/cli · GitHub

https://github.com/npm/cli/issues/2701#issuecomment-972900511
generic

[BUG] `npm ci` succeeds when `package-lock.json` doesn't match `package.json` · Issue #2701 · npm/cli · GitHub

https://github.com/npm/cli/issues/2701
github_commit Patch Available

commit 457e0ae61bbc (npm/cli)

Patch available: npm/cli v12.0.0-pre.2 (contains commit 457e0ae61bbc)

https://github.com/npm/cli/commit/457e0ae61bbc55846f5af44afa4066921923490f
generic

GitHub - icatalina/CVE-2021-43616: Repo demonstrating CVE-2021-43616 / https://github.com/npm/cli/issues/2701 · GitHub

https://github.com/icatalina/CVE-2021-43616
generic

npm-ci | npm Docs

https://docs.npmjs.com/cli/v8/commands/npm-ci
generic

npm-ci | npm Docs

https://docs.npmjs.com/cli/v7/commands/npm-ci

Patch Availability(1)

Vendor / EcosystemFixed in / PatchReleasedSource
redhatnodejs:16-8060020220519144917.ad008a3a2022-05-30redhat

Patches are aggregated from vendor advisories (Red Hat, Microsoft, Cisco, GitHub) and package ecosystems (OSV, GHSA). Multiple rows for the same upstream release have been deduplicated.

Weakness Classification(1)

MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.

All Vendor Advisories

(1)

Every vendor that published an advisory referencing this CVE — pulled from our cve_vendor_advisories aggregation. Click any row for the vendor's original advisory page.

Data Freshness Timeline

(refreshed 10× in last 7d / 48× in last 30d)

Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.

Showing the most recent 100 of 114 total refreshes for this CVE.

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Publicly available exploits

(1 reference)

Working exploit code is in the public domain (1 GitHub PoC). Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly — public PoCs typically lead to mass-exploitation within 24-72 hours.

  • GitHub PoCicatalina/CVE-2021-43616
    First seen Nov 15, 2021

    Repo demonstrating CVE-2021-43616 / https://github.com/npm/cli/issues/2701

    Open source ↗

Related CVEs(same vendor + same CWE)

Frequently asked(5)

What is CVE-2021-43616?
CVE-2021-43616 is a critical vulnerability published on November 13, 2021. The npm ci command in npm 7.x and 8.x through 8.1.3 proceeds with an installation even if dependency information in package-lock.json differs from package.json. This behavior is inconsistent with the documentation, and makes it easier for attackers to install malware that was supposed to have been…
When was CVE-2021-43616 disclosed?
CVE-2021-43616 was first published in the National Vulnerability Database on November 13, 2021, with the most recent update on November 21, 2024. EchelonGraph re-ingests CVE updates from NVD on a 2-hour cycle, so this page reflects the latest published state.
Is CVE-2021-43616 actively exploited?
CVE-2021-43616 is not currently on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. FIRST EPSS estimates a 3% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, which ranks it in the top 16.7% of all scored CVEs.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-43616?
CVE-2021-43616 has a CVSS v3 base score of 9.0 (NVD). EchelonGraph synthesises NVD + CISA KEV + FIRST EPSS + GHSA into a combined EG score of 9.8.
How do I remediate CVE-2021-43616?
Patch to the fixed version published by the affected vendor. Where vendor advisories exist for CVE-2021-43616, EchelonGraph cross-links them in the Vendor Advisories panel below — those typically contain the canonical remediation steps, fixed version numbers, and any vendor-specific mitigations.

Dependency Blast Radius

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