Skip to content
Patch Next
Sign inAdd to your agent

← Actionable
High, CVSS 7.5amended

debug Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity vulnerability

CVE-2017-20165GHSA-9vvw-cc9w-f27h

What to do

Vendor fix available. Upgrade each affected package to the fixed version on its release line (debug 3.1.0, 2.6.9), redeploy, then verify what is actually installed.

This page has no inventory attached, so it cannot say whether you are affected. A vendor fix is not proof that your deployment is fixed.

Add to your agent

Affected packages

  • npm debug

    Affected
    < 2.6.9>= 3.0.0, < 3.1.0
    Fixed in
    2.6.9, 3.1.0

Sources

Severity and exploitation
Exploitation
No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.
CVSS
7.5 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
EPSS
  • CVE-2017-20165: 2.10% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 81.76 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.
Source description

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

A vulnerability classified as problematic has been found in debug-js debug up to 3.0.x. This affects the function useColors of the file src/node.js. The manipulation of the argument str leads to inefficient regular expression complexity. Upgrading to version 3.1.0 is able to address this issue. The name of the patch is c38a0166c266a679c8de012d4eaccec3f944e685. It is recommended to upgrade the affected component. The identifier VDB-217665 was assigned to this vulnerability. The patch has been backported to the 2.6.x branch in version 2.6.9.

Dates and revisions
Published by the source
Last modified by the source
Source last checked
  1. Revision 2 · amended ·

    Amended from ghsa record GHSA-9vvw-cc9w-f27h

  2. Revision 1 · created ·

    Published from osv record GHSA-9vvw-cc9w-f27h

Agent brief

Preview the exact text before you copy it. Commands are read-only suggestions; review them before running anything.

# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2017-20165

Advisory: debug Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity vulnerability
IDs: CVE-2017-20165, GHSA-9vvw-cc9w-f27h
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2017-20165 (revision 2, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 12:26 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: High (CVSS 7.5)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: debug 3.1.0, 2.6.9. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- npm debug: affected < 2.6.9; >= 3.0.0, < 3.1.0; fixed in 2.6.9, 3.1.0

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- `npm ls debug --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 debug.
- 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-9vvw-cc9w-f27h (OSV record GHSA-9vvw-cc9w-f27h lists affected ranges: npm debug >=3.0.0 =0 <2.6.9 (fixed))
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-9vvw-cc9w-f27h (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-9vvw-cc9w-f27h lists affected ranges: npm debug >=0 =3.0.0 <3.1.0)

Commands are suggestions: review each one before running it.

Loading voting…