CVE-2018-7408: Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource in NPM

npm Updated 02 Oct 2025

Summary

22/02/2018

Disclosed on

CVE-2018-7408

CVE

Yes i

Fix available

High

Severity

7.8

CVSS Score

CVE-2018-7408: Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource in NPM. Affects npm versions < 5.7.1. Fixed in 5.7.1. How to fix ↓

Also tracked for

npm · npm

The same CVE-2018-7408 is tracked separately for each ecosystem and vendor. Its fix information is the same; the package and affected versions differ.

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Background

NPM is a package manager for the JavaScript programming language. It allows developers to easily install, manage, and share reusable code packages. The vulnerability in NPM version 4.2.0 allows local users to bypass filesystem access restrictions by changing ownerships of critical directories unexpectedly. This issue was discovered in a pre-release version of NPM 5.7.0 and was automatically installed by the 'npm upgrade -g npm' command. It was announced in the vendor's blog without mentioning its pre-release status.

Vulnerability Detail

The vulnerability arises from a 'correctMkdir' issue in NPM. It can be exploited by local users to gain unauthorized access to critical resources on the system. By changing ownerships of the /etc and /usr directories, the intended filesystem access restrictions can be bypassed. This can lead to unauthorized modifications, data leakage, or even complete system compromise. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 7.8, indicating a high severity level.

How To Fix

Minimum fixed version

5.7.1

This is the first release that contains the fix.

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Workaround

There is no specific workaround mentioned for this vulnerability. The recommended solution is to upgrade NPM to the fixed version.

Conclusion

The vulnerability in NPM version 4.2.0 allows local users to bypass filesystem access restrictions, potentially leading to unauthorized modifications or system compromise. It is recommended to upgrade NPM to version 5.7.1 or later to mitigate this vulnerability. For further support on vulnerability remediation, please contact DevNack.com.

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