How severe is CVE-2023-38704?

CVE-2023-38704 has a CVSS score of 8.1/10, rated HIGH. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2023-38704?

CVE-2023-38704 affects the following packages: import-in-the-middle (npm). Ecosystems affected: npm.

How do I fix CVE-2023-38704?

Update import-in-the-middle to 1.4.2 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-38704 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2023-38704 in my npm dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for import-in-the-middle. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.

How do I mitigate CVE-2023-38704 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.

How does O3 Security protect against CVE-2023-38704?

O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2023-38704 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.

Is CVE-2023-38704 actively exploited in the wild?

No public exploit code has been indexed for CVE-2023-38704 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.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2023-38704?

CVE-2023-38704 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 0.8%, placing it in the 53th 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-2023-38704 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2023-38704 was published on August 7, 2023 and was last updated on April 10, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

📦 npm

CVE-2023-38704

HIGH

import-in-the-middle allows unsanitized user controlled input in module generation

Also known asGHSA-5r27-rw8r-7967

Published

Aug 7, 2023

Updated

Apr 10, 2026

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

1 / 1

Exploits

None indexed

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

0.8%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk53th percentile+0.10%

EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.

Blast Radius

1 pkg affected

📦import-in-the-middle

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

import-in-the-middle is a module loading interceptor specifically for ESM modules. The import-in-the-middle loader works by generating a wrapper module on the fly. The wrapper uses the module specifier to load the original module and add some wrapping code. Prior to version 1.4.2, it allows for remote code execution in cases where an application passes user-supplied input directly to the import() function. This vulnerability has been patched in import-in-the-middle version 1.4.2.

Some workarounds are available. Do not pass any user-supplied input to import(). Instead, verify it against a set of allowed values. If using import-in-the-middle, directly or indirectly, and support for EcmaScript Modules is not needed, ensure that no options are set, either via command-line or the NODE_OPTIONS environment variable, that would enable loader hooks.

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
📦npm	`import-in-the-middle`	all versions	1.4.2

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for import-in-the-middle. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update import-in-the-middle to 1.4.2 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-38704 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.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2023-38704 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.

Tailored to CVE-2023-38704. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.

Frequently Asked Questions

import-in-the-middle is a module loading interceptor specifically for ESM modules. The import-in-the-middle loader works by generating a wrapper module on the fly. The wrapper uses the module specifier to load the original module and add some wrapping code. Prior to version 1.4.2, it allows for remote code execution in cases where an application passes user-supplied input directly to the `import()` function. This vulnerability has been patched in import-in-the-middle version 1.4.2. Some workarounds are available. Do not pass any user-supplied input to `import()`. Instead, verify it against a

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2023-38704 in your dependencies?

O3 detects CVE-2023-38704 across npm dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.

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