Answer in brief
CVE-2023-45133 records a Critical severity (CVSS 9.3) vulnerability in Babel vulnerable to arbitrary code execution when compiling specifically crafted malicious code. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. The current feed maps @babel/traverse (npm), @babel/traverse (npm), babel-traverse (npm). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.
Analysis pending evidence review
HOL Guard separates source facts from reviewed analysis. See the methodology.
CVSS is 9.3. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. Treat this as a source-backed prioritization signal, not a statement about your environment.
Analysis status
Analysis pending evidence review
Factual feed record only; HOL analysis is not approved for indexing. Read the methodology.
The current feed maps @babel/traverse (npm), @babel/traverse (npm), babel-traverse (npm). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.
| Package | Affected range | Fixed version |
|---|---|---|
| @babel/traversenpm | >=0 <7.23.2 | 7.23.2 |
| @babel/traversenpm | >=8.0.0-alpha.0 <8.0.0-alpha.4 | 8.0.0-alpha.4 |
| babel-traversenpm | >=0 | Not reported |
Published upstream
Oct 16, 2023
Evidence: source:osv:source_dates:source-dates:recordSource modified
Sep 10, 2026
Evidence: source:osv:source_dates:source-dates:recordFirst seen by HOL
Sep 10, 2026
### Impact Using Babel to compile code that was specifically crafted by an attacker can lead to arbitrary code execution during compilation, when using plugins that rely on the `path.evaluate()`or `path.evaluateTruthy()` internal Babel methods. Known affected plugins are: - `@babel/plugin-transform-runtime` - `@babel/preset-env` when using its [`useBuiltIns`](https://babeljs.io/docs/babel-preset-env#usebuiltins) option - Any "polyfill provider" plugin that depends on `@babel/helper-define-polyfill-provider`, such as `babel-plugin-polyfill-corejs3`, `babel-plugin-polyfill-corejs2`, `babel-plugin-polyfill-es-shims`, `babel-plugin-polyfill-regenerator` No other plugins under the `@babel/` namespace are impacted, but third-party plugins might be. **Users that only compile trusted code are not impacted.** ### Patches The vulnerability has been fixed in `@babel/[email protected]`. Babel 6 does not receive security fixes anymore (see [Babel's security policy](https://github.com/babel/babel/security/policy)), hence there is no patch planned for `babel-traverse@6`. ### Workarounds - Upgrade `@babel/traverse` to v7.23.2 or higher. You can do this by deleting it from your package manager's lockfile and re-installing the dependencies. `@babel/core` >=7.23.2 will automatically pull in a non-vulnerable version. - If you cannot upgrade `@babel/traverse` and are using one of the affected packages mentioned above, upgrade them to their latest version to avoid triggering the vulnerable code path in affected `@babel/traverse` versions: - `@babel/plugin-transform-runtime` v7.23.2 - `@babel/preset-env` v7.23.2 - `@babel/helper-define-polyfill-provider` v0.4.3 - `babel-plugin-polyfill-corejs2` v0.4.6 - `babel-plugin-polyfill-corejs3` v0.8.5 - `babel-plugin-polyfill-es-shims` v0.10.0 - `babel-plugin-polyfill-regenerator` v0.5.3
Quoted source text, attributed separately from HOL analysis.