How severe is GHSA-xmmp-hrmx-x5g7?

GHSA-xmmp-hrmx-x5g7 has a CVSS score of 9.8/10, rated CRITICAL. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by GHSA-xmmp-hrmx-x5g7?

GHSA-xmmp-hrmx-x5g7 affects the following packages: bowe (npm). Ecosystems affected: npm.

How do I fix GHSA-xmmp-hrmx-x5g7?

No patched version of bowe has shipped for GHSA-xmmp-hrmx-x5g7 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 GHSA-xmmp-hrmx-x5g7 in my npm dependencies?

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

How do I mitigate GHSA-xmmp-hrmx-x5g7 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 GHSA-xmmp-hrmx-x5g7 actively exploited in the wild?

No public exploit code has been indexed for GHSA-xmmp-hrmx-x5g7 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 GHSA-xmmp-hrmx-x5g7 published, and has it been updated?

GHSA-xmmp-hrmx-x5g7 was published on September 2, 2020 and was last updated on September 30, 2021. 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

CRITICAL severity

Malicious Package in boweGHSA-xmmp-hrmx-x5g7

CRITICAL

GHSA-xmmp-hrmx-x5g7 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) vulnerability in bowe. No vendor fix is recorded yet; mitigation options are listed below.

Published

Sep 2, 2020

Updated

Sep 30, 2021

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

None yet

Exploits

None indexed

Exploitation data as of Sep 30, 2021 · OSV.dev, FIRST.org (EPSS)

Real-World Exposure

1 pkg affected

How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, a proxy for how much of the ecosystem is exposed.

bowenpm

9downloads / week

Description

Version 1.8.4 of bowee contained malicious code as a preinstall script. The package downloaded a file from a remote server, executed it and opened a backdoor.

Recommendation

Any computer that has this package installed or running should be considered fully compromised. All secrets and keys stored on that computer should be rotated immediately from a different computer.

The package should be removed, but as full control of the computer may have been given to an outside entity, there is no guarantee that removing the package will remove all malicious software resulting from installing it.

Affected Packages

1 total

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
📦npm	`bowe`	all versions	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 bowe, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Remediation status
No patched version of bowe has shipped for GHSA-xmmp-hrmx-x5g7 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

Version 1.8.4 of `bowee` contained malicious code as a preinstall script. The package downloaded a file from a remote server, executed it and opened a backdoor. ## Recommendation Any computer that has this package installed or running should be considered fully compromised. All secrets and keys stored on that computer should be rotated immediately from a different computer. The package should be removed, but as full control of the computer may have been given to an outside entity, there is no guarantee that removing the package will remove all malicious software resulting from installing i

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

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