Summary
selenium-binaries downloads resources over HTTP
Versions of selenium-binaries prior to 0.15.0 insecurely download an executable over an unencrypted HTTP connection.
In scenarios where an attacker has a privileged network position, it is possible to intercept the response and replace the executable with a malicious one, resulting in code execution on the system running selenium-binaries.
Impact
CVE-2016-10589 has a CVSS score of 8.1 (High). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (0.15.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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A fix for this vulnerability is available on the master branch of the repository as part of version 0.15.0.
Another mitigation currently available is to use an alternate package, such as selenium-webdriver, the official selenium bindings for node.js.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2016-10589? CVE-2016-10589 is a high-severity security vulnerability in selenium-binaries (npm), affecting versions < 0.15.0. It is fixed in 0.15.0.
- How severe is CVE-2016-10589? CVE-2016-10589 has a CVSS score of 8.1 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which versions of selenium-binaries are affected by CVE-2016-10589? selenium-binaries (npm) versions < 0.15.0 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2016-10589? Yes. CVE-2016-10589 is fixed in 0.15.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2016-10589 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2016-10589 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2016-10589 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2016-10589? Upgrade
selenium-binariesto 0.15.0 or later.