Summary
node-tkinter is malware
The node-tkinter package is a piece of malware that steals environment variables and sends them to attacker controlled locations.
All versions have been unpublished from the npm registry.
Impact
CVE-2017-16062 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 (1.0.3); 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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See it in your environmentNew to Kodem? Get a demo →Remediation advice
As this package is malware, if you find it installed in your environment, the real security concern is determining how it got there.
If you have found this installed in your environment, you should:
- Delete the package
- Clear your npm cache
- Ensure it is not present in any other package.json files on your system
- Regenerate your registry credentials, tokens, and any other sensitive credentials that may have been present in your environment variables.
Additionally, any service which may have been exposed via credentials in your environment variables, such as a database, should be reviewed for indicators of compromise as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2017-16062? CVE-2017-16062 is a high-severity security vulnerability in node-tkinter (npm), affecting versions <= 1.0.2. It is fixed in 1.0.3.
- How severe is CVE-2017-16062? CVE-2017-16062 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 node-tkinter are affected by CVE-2017-16062? node-tkinter (npm) versions <= 1.0.2 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2017-16062? Yes. CVE-2017-16062 is fixed in 1.0.3. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2017-16062 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2017-16062 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-2017-16062 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-2017-16062? Upgrade
node-tkinterto 1.0.3 or later.