What is CVE-2017-16005?

CVE-2017-16005 is a high-severity improper input validation vulnerability in http-signature (npm), affecting versions < 0.10.0. It is fixed in 0.10.0. The application does not adequately validate input before processing it, allowing unexpected values to reach sensitive code paths.

How severe is CVE-2017-16005?

CVE-2017-16005 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (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 http-signature are affected by CVE-2017-16005?

http-signature (npm) versions < 0.10.0 is affected.

Is there a fix for CVE-2017-16005?

Yes. CVE-2017-16005 is fixed in 0.10.0. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is CVE-2017-16005 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2017-16005 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.

What actually determines whether CVE-2017-16005 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-2017-16005?

Upgrade http-signature to 0.10.0 or later.

CVE-2017-16005 in http-signature

Q: How severe is CVE-2017-16005?

CVE-2017-16005 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (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.

Q: Which versions of http-signature are affected by CVE-2017-16005?

http-signature (npm) versions < 0.10.0 is affected.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2017-16005?

Yes. CVE-2017-16005 is fixed in 0.10.0. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is CVE-2017-16005 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2017-16005 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.

Q: What actually determines whether CVE-2017-16005 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.

Q: How do I fix CVE-2017-16005?

Upgrade http-signature to 0.10.0 or later.

Summary

Header Forgery in http-signature

Affected versions of http-signature contain a vulnerability which can allow an attacker in a privileged network position to modify header names and change the meaning of the request, without requiring an updated signature.

This problem occurs because vulnerable versions of http-signature sign the contents of headers, but not the header names.

Proof of Concept

Consider this to be the initial, untampered request:

POST /pay HTTP/1.1
Host: example.com
Date: Thu, 05 Jan 2012 21:31:40 GMT
X-Payment-Source: [email protected]
X-Payment-Destination: [email protected]
Authorization: Signature keyId="Test",algorithm="rsa-sha256",headers="x-payment-source x-payment-destination" MDyO5tSvin5...

And the request is intercepted and tampered as follows:

X-Payment-Source: [email protected] // Emails switched
X-Payment-Destination: [email protected]
Authorization: Signature keyId="Test",algorithm="rsa-sha256",headers="x-payment-destination x-payment-source" MDyO5tSvin5...

In the resulting responses, both requests would pass signature verification without issue.

[email protected]\n
[email protected]\n

Impact

The application does not adequately validate input before processing it, allowing unexpected values to reach sensitive code paths. Typical impact: varies by context: data corruption, logic bypass, or denial of service.

CVE-2017-16005 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (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 (0.10.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

http-signature (< 0.10.0)

Security releases

http-signature → 0.10.0 (npm)

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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Remediation advice

Update to version 0.10.0 or higher.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2017-16005? CVE-2017-16005 is a high-severity improper input validation vulnerability in http-signature (npm), affecting versions < 0.10.0. It is fixed in 0.10.0. The application does not adequately validate input before processing it, allowing unexpected values to reach sensitive code paths.
How severe is CVE-2017-16005? CVE-2017-16005 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (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 http-signature are affected by CVE-2017-16005? http-signature (npm) versions < 0.10.0 is affected.
Is there a fix for CVE-2017-16005? Yes. CVE-2017-16005 is fixed in 0.10.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is CVE-2017-16005 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2017-16005 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-2017-16005 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-2017-16005? Upgrade http-signature to 0.10.0 or later.