Remote Memory Exposure in request

Exploitation

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

CVSS

5.9 · CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

EPSS

• CVE-2017-16026: 2.56% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 85.13 (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.

Affected versions of `request` will disclose local system memory to remote systems in certain circumstances. When a multipart request is made, and the type of `body` is `number`, then a buffer of that size will be allocated and sent to the remote server as the body.

Proof of Concept ```js var request = require('request'); var http = require('http'); var serveFunction = function (req, res){ req.on('data', function (data) { console.log(data) }); res.end(); }; var server = http.createServer(serveFunction); server.listen(8000); request({ method: "POST", uri: 'http://localhost:8000', multipart: [{body:500}] },function(err,res,body){}); ```

Recommendation Update to version 2.68.0 or later

Published by the source

9 Nov 2018, 17:44 UTC

Last modified by the source

8 Nov 2023, 03:59 UTC

Source last checked

24 Oct 2026, 04:13 UTC

1. Revision 1 · created · 24 Oct 2026

   Published from osv record GHSA-7xfp-9c55-5vqj

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2017-16026

Advisory: Remote Memory Exposure in request
IDs: CVE-2017-16026, GHSA-7xfp-9c55-5vqj
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2017-16026 (revision 1, source checked 24 Oct 2026, 04:13 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Medium (CVSS 5.9)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: request 2.68.0. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- npm request: affected >= 2.49.0, < 2.68.0; >= 2.2.6, < 2.68.0; fixed in 2.68.0

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- `npm ls request --all`: lists every installed copy and version, including transitive ones. Run in the project root after `npm ci`.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on request.
- 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://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-7xfp-9c55-5vqj (OSV record GHSA-7xfp-9c55-5vqj lists affected ranges: npm request >=2.49.0 =2.2.6 <2.68.0 (fixed))

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