CVE-2023-30584 is a high-severity vulnerability identified in Node.js version 20, specifically within its experimental permission model. The flaw is categorized under CWE-22, which relates to path traversal vulnerabilities. This vulnerability arises due to improper handling of path traversal bypasses when verifying file permissions. Essentially, the permission model fails to correctly validate file paths, allowing an attacker to potentially access files outside the intended directory scope. This can lead to unauthorized disclosure or modification of sensitive files. The vulnerability affects multiple Node.js versions, including 4.0 through 20.0, indicating a broad impact across many releases. The CVSS 3.1 score is 7.7, reflecting a high severity level, with the vector indicating local attack vector (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), and high impact on confidentiality and integrity (C:H/I:H), but no impact on availability (A:N). The vulnerability is currently not known to be exploited in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet. Since the permission model is experimental, it may not be widely deployed in production environments, but organizations using this feature are at risk. Exploitation could allow attackers to bypass permission checks and access or modify files they should not have access to, potentially leading to data breaches or system compromise. The flaw requires local access to the system, meaning an attacker must have some level of access to the host environment to exploit it, but no privileges or user interaction are needed beyond that.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2023-30584 can be significant, especially for those leveraging Node.js 20 with the experimental permission model enabled. Unauthorized access to sensitive files could lead to data breaches involving personal data protected under GDPR, resulting in legal and financial repercussions. Integrity compromise could affect application behavior, leading to potential service disruptions or malicious code execution if critical files are altered. Although the vulnerability requires local access, many European enterprises use Node.js in development, testing, and production environments, including cloud and containerized deployments where local access might be easier to achieve through other vulnerabilities or misconfigurations. The lack of known exploits in the wild provides some immediate relief, but the high severity and ease of exploitation without privileges or user interaction mean that attackers with local access could leverage this flaw to escalate their access or exfiltrate data. This is particularly concerning for sectors with high-value data such as finance, healthcare, and government institutions across Europe. The experimental nature of the permission model suggests limited exposure currently, but as adoption grows, the risk will increase.

1. Disable the experimental permission model in Node.js 20 until a patch is released and thoroughly tested. 2. Restrict local access to systems running vulnerable Node.js versions by enforcing strict access controls, including multi-factor authentication and network segmentation. 3. Monitor systems for unusual file access patterns or unauthorized file modifications, especially in directories accessible by Node.js applications. 4. Apply principle of least privilege to Node.js processes, ensuring they run with minimal permissions necessary. 5. Stay updated with Node.js security advisories and apply patches promptly once available. 6. Conduct code reviews and security testing focusing on file system interactions in Node.js applications, particularly where the experimental permission model is used. 7. For containerized environments, use read-only file systems and limit volume mounts to reduce the risk of path traversal exploitation. 8. Implement host-based intrusion detection systems (HIDS) to detect attempts to exploit path traversal vulnerabilities locally.