NodeBB vulnerable to path traversal in translator moduleGHSA-pfj7-2qfw-vwgm
MEDIUMFix: NodeBB/NodeBB@c8b2fc4GHSA-pfj7-2qfw-vwgm is a medium-severity (CVSS 5) Path Traversal vulnerability in nodebb. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for nodebb — see the affected versions and patch details below.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
GHSA-pfj7-2qfw-vwgm 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 10–50% 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.
nodebbnpmDescription
Impact
Prior to v1.18.5, a path traversal vulnerability was present that allowed users to access JSON files outside of the expected languages/ directory.
Patches
The vulnerability has been patched as of v1.18.5.
Workarounds
Cherry-pick commit hash c8b2fc46dc698db687379106b3f01c71b80f495f to receive this patch in lieu of a full upgrade.
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Email us at [email protected]
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | nodebb | ≥ 1.0.4&&< 1.18.5 | 1.18.5npm install nodebb@1.18.5 |
Affected Products
nodebbnodebbResearch 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 nodebb, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update nodebb to 1.18.5 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-pfj7-2qfw-vwgm is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
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
Is GHSA-pfj7-2qfw-vwgm in your dependencies?
Find it across npm, including transitive dependencies.