How severe is CVE-2021-23797?

CVE-2021-23797 has a CVSS score of 7.5/10, rated HIGH. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2021-23797?

CVE-2021-23797 affects the following packages: http-server-node (npm). Ecosystems affected: npm.

How do I fix CVE-2021-23797?

No patched version of http-server-node has shipped for CVE-2021-23797 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-2021-23797 in my npm dependencies?

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

How do I mitigate CVE-2021-23797 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

Resolve every user-supplied path to its canonical form and reject anything that escapes the intended directory, and run the component under an account that has no read or write access outside the directory it legitimately serves.

Is CVE-2021-23797 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 1 known exploit references for CVE-2021-23797, including 1 in-the-wild exploitation observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2021-23797?

CVE-2021-23797 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 1.8%, placing it in the 78th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. This score indicates relatively lower exploitation probability, though the CVSS severity should still guide your patching priority.

When was CVE-2021-23797 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2021-23797 was published on January 5, 2022 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

HIGH severity

CVE-2021-23797 — http-server-node

HIGH

CVE-2021-23797 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) vulnerability in http-server-node. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. No vendor fix is recorded yet; mitigation options are listed below.

Path Traversal in http-server-node

Published

Jan 5, 2022

Updated

Nov 8, 2023

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

None yet

Exploits

1 known

Exploitation data as of Oct 12, 2026 · OSV.dev, FIRST.org (EPSS)

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

1.8%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk+0.06%

Lower risk than most CVEs78th percentile — riskier than 78% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

How urgent is this, really

CVE-2021-23797 by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.

Where this sits among everything scored

Of 385,987 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.

Real-World Exposure

1 pkg affected

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.

0other npm packages depend on this — each one inherits the vulnerability until it's patched upstream

http-server-nodenpm

5downloads / week

Description

All versions of package http-server-node are vulnerable to Directory Traversal via use of --path-as-is.

Affected Packages

1 total

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
📦npm	`http-server-node`	all versions	No fix

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.

All versions of package http-server-node are vulnerable to Directory Tra…

snyk.ioNVDDec 2021

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for http-server-node, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Remediation status
No patched version of http-server-node has shipped for CVE-2021-23797 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
Resolve every user-supplied path to its canonical form and reject anything that escapes the intended directory, and run the component under an account that has no read or write access outside the directory it legitimately serves.

Frequently Asked Questions

All versions of package http-server-node are vulnerable to Directory Traversal via use of `--path-as-is`.

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