CVE-2017-16226 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) Improper Input Validation vulnerability in static-eval. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for static-eval — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Sandbox Breakout / Arbitrary Code Execution in static-eval
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2017-16226 by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 385,738 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.
Real-World Exposure
How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, and reverse-dependency count shows how many other packages break if it stays unpatched.
static-evalnpmDescription
Affected versions of static-eval pass untrusted user input directly to the global function constructor, resulting in an arbitrary code execution vulnerability when user input is parsed via the package.
Proof of concept
var evaluate = require('static-eval');
var parse = require('esprima').parse;
var src = '(function(){console.log(process.pid)})()';
var ast = parse(src).body[0].expression;
var res = evaluate(ast, {});
// Will print the process id
Recommendation
Update to version 2.0.0 or later.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | static-eval | all versions | 2.0.0npm install static-eval@2.0.0 |
Affected Products
static-evalstatic-eval_projectResearch use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for static-eval, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update static-eval to 2.0.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2017-16226 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
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
Is CVE-2017-16226 in your dependencies?
Find it across npm, including transitive dependencies.