HTTP processing security defect (CVE-2016-5325)

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

not scored

EPSS

• CVE-2016-5325: 4.09% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 90.75 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

http: Properly validate for allowable characters in the `reason` argument in `ServerResponse#writeHead()`. Fixes a possible response splitting attack vector. This introduces a new case where `throw` may occur when configuring HTTP responses, users should already be adopting try/catch here. This is a low severity security defect that that may make HTTP response splitting possible under certain circumstances. If user-input is passed to the reason argument to writeHead() on an HTTP response, a new-line character may be used to inject additional responses. The fix for this defect introduces a new case where throw may occur when configuring HTTP responses. Users should already be adopting try/catch here. Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) v3 Base Score: Metric Score Base Score: 4.8 (Medium) Base Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N Attack Vector: Network (AV:N) Attack Complexity: High (AC:H) Privileges Required: None (PR:N) User Interaction: None (UI:N) Scope…

Published by the source

27 Sep 2016, 00:00 UTC

Last modified by the source

27 Sep 2016, 00:00 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 16:35 UTC

1. Revision 2 · published · 26 Oct 2026

   Published from vendor_advisory record nodejs-security-wg:core:18

2. Revision 1 · created · 26 Oct 2026

   Created from vendor_advisory record nodejs-security-wg:core:18

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2016-5325

Advisory: HTTP processing security defect (CVE-2016-5325)
IDs: CVE-2016-5325
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2016-5325 (revision 2, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 16:35 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Unrated
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Partial vendor fix; fixed versions by package: node 6.7.0, 4.6.0. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- runtime node: affected >= 6.0.0, < 6.7.0; >= 4.0.0, < 4.6.0; >= 5.0.0, < 6.0.0; fixed in 6.7.0, 4.6.0

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- runtime node: check the installed version with your package manager.

## Supported action
No complete vendor fix is recorded. Follow the primary source's mitigation guidance and check this record again before closing anything.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on node.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nodejs/security-wg/main/vuln/core/18.json (Node.js security working group core entry 18 lists CVE-2016-5325 affecting node >=6.0.0 =4.0.0 =5.0.0 <6.0.0 (no patch))
- Verified: https://nodejs.org/dist/index.json (The nodejs.org release index dates the first patched release for CVE-2016-5325 to 2016-09-27.)

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