CVE-2017-10910

Affected versions of mqtt do not properly handle PUBLISH packets returning from the server, leading to a Denial of Service condition.

The vulnerability is completely mitigated if the only connected servers are trusted, guaranteed not to be under the control of a malicious actor.

Proof of Concept

The following is a demonstration of how to generate the malicious packet sequence, but does not include information on handling the initial network connections and MQTT overhead.

var mqttp = require('mqtt-packet');
var packets = [];
for(var i=0; i<=1000;i++){
    packets.push(
        mqttp.generate({
            cmd:'publish',
            topic:Buffer.from('hello'),
            payload:Buffer.from('world'),
            retain: false,
            dup: false, 
            messageId: ++i, 
            qos: 1
        })
    )
}

CVE-2017-10910 has a CVSS score of 6.5 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, low 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 (2.15.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

Update to version 2.15.0 or later.

1. What is CVE-2017-10910? CVE-2017-10910 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in mqtt (npm), affecting versions >= 2.0.0, < 2.15.0. It is fixed in 2.15.0.
2. How severe is CVE-2017-10910? CVE-2017-10910 has a CVSS score of 6.5 (Medium). 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.
3. Which versions of mqtt are affected by CVE-2017-10910? mqtt (npm) versions >= 2.0.0, < 2.15.0 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2017-10910? Yes. CVE-2017-10910 is fixed in 2.15.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2017-10910 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2017-10910 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
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2017-10910 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.
7. How do I fix CVE-2017-10910? Upgrade mqtt to 2.15.0 or later.