How severe is CVE-2016-1000238?

No CVSS score has been assigned to CVE-2016-1000238 yet. Review the advisory details and affected package list to assess your exposure.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2016-1000238?

CVE-2016-1000238 affects the following packages: node-krb5 (npm). Ecosystems affected: npm.

How do I fix CVE-2016-1000238?

No patched version of node-krb5 has shipped for CVE-2016-1000238 yet. Where your build allows, override or pin the dependency away from the vulnerable range, and apply any maintainer-recommended mitigation.

How do I detect CVE-2016-1000238 in my npm dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for node-krb5, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

How do I mitigate CVE-2016-1000238 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.

Is CVE-2016-1000238 actively exploited in the wild?

No public exploit code has been indexed for CVE-2016-1000238 yet. This does not mean the vulnerability cannot be exploited — absence of public exploits does not imply safety. Apply the recommended fix and use O3 Security to monitor your exposure.

When was CVE-2016-1000238 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2016-1000238 was published on September 1, 2020 and was last updated on November 8, 2023. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

📦 npm

Not in CISA KEV

CVE-2016-1000238 — node-krb5

CVE-2016-1000238 is a security vulnerability in node-krb5. No vendor fix is recorded yet; mitigation options are listed below.

Spoofing attack due to unvalidated KDC in node-krb5

Published

Sep 1, 2020

Updated

Nov 8, 2023

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

None yet

Exploits

None indexed

Exploitation data as of Nov 8, 2023 · OSV.dev, FIRST.org (EPSS)

Real-World Exposure

1 pkg affected

📦node-krb5

Real-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects npm packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.

Description

Affected versions of node-krb5 do not validate the KDC prior to authenticating, which might allow an attacker with network access and enough time to spoof the KDC and impersonate a valid user without knowing their credentials.

Recommendation

It appears that this will remain unfixed indefinitely, as the Github issue for this vulnerability has been open since 2015, with no work on it since then.

At this time, the best available mitigation is to use an alternative module that is actively maintained and provides similar functionality. There are multiple modules fitting this criteria available on npm..

Affected Packages

1 total

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
📦npm	`node-krb5`	≥ 0.0.0	No fix

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for node-krb5, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Remediation status
No patched version of node-krb5 has shipped for CVE-2016-1000238 yet. Where your build allows, override or pin the dependency away from the vulnerable range, and apply any maintainer-recommended mitigation.
Mitigate without a patch
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.

Frequently Asked Questions

Affected versions of `node-krb5` do not validate the KDC prior to authenticating, which might allow an attacker with network access and enough time to spoof the KDC and impersonate a valid user without knowing their credentials. ## Recommendation It appears that this will remain unfixed indefinitely, as the Github issue for this vulnerability has been open since 2015, with no work on it since then. At this time, the best available mitigation is to use an alternative module that is actively maintained and provides similar functionality. There are [multiple modules fitting this criteria avai

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

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