CVE-2024-21505: Web3 utils Web3-utils Prototype Pollution Vulnerability Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-2g4c-8fpm-c46v
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-1321
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2024-21505 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) web3-utils prototype pollution vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution')) affecting Web3 utils libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves web3-utils prototype pollution vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.2.1.

CVE-2024-21505 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2024-21505
GHSA Identifier GHSA-2g4c-8fpm-c46v
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution')
Affected Product Web3 utils
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality None (C:N)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2024-21505

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Web3 utils dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

web3-utils fixed: 4.2.1 
npm install web3-utils@4.2.1
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

npm ls web3-utils

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2024-21505, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls web3-utils

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Web3 utils in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 4.2.1), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls web3-utils command inspects dependencies declared in your package.json and lockfile; it does not perform automated runtime dynamic scanning.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution'), where the product receives input from an upstream component that specifies attributes that are to be initialized or updated in an object, but it does not properly control modifications of attributes of the object prototype. In Web3 utils, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

### Impact: The mergeDeep() function in the web3-utils package has been identified for Prototype Pollution vulnerability. An attacker has the ability to modify an object's prototype, which could result in changing the behavior of all objects that inherit from the impacted prototype by providing carefully crafted input to function. ### Patches: It has been fixed in web3-utils version 4.2.1 so all packages and apps depending on web3-utils >=4.0.1 and <=4.2.0 should upgrade to web3-utils 4.2.1. ### Workarounds: None

CVE-2024-21505 Affected Web3 utils Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.2.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
web3-utils
npm/web3-utils
npm
≥ 4.0.1
< 4.2.1
4.2.1

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/web3/web3.js/security/advisories/GHSA-2g4c-8fpm-c46v
NVD — CVE-2024-21505 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-21505
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/web3/web3.js/commit/8ed041c6635d807b3da8960ad49e125e3d1b0e80
Web3 utils Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/web3/web3.js
Web3 utils Security Information SECURITY
https://security.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-WEB3UTILS-6229337

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2024-21505?
CVE-2024-21505 is a security vulnerability in Web3 utils involving web3-utils Prototype Pollution vulnerability under CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution').
Which Web3 utils versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.2.1 across affected packages: web3-utils.
What version fixes CVE-2024-21505?
Upgrading to 4.2.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is web3-utils affected?
Yes, web3-utils is affected in releases prior to 4.2.1. Upgrade your dependency to 4.2.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2024-21505?
CVE-2024-21505 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2024-21505?
CVE-2024-21505 is classified under CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution') (The product receives input from an upstream component that specifies attributes that are to be initialized or updated in an object, but it does not properly control modifications of attributes of the object prototype.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2024-21505?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls web3-utils'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-2g4c-8fpm-c46v",
  "modified" : "2024-03-27T21:57:42Z",
  "published" : "2024-03-27T21:57:42Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2024-21505" ],
  "summary" : "web3-utils Prototype Pollution vulnerability",
  "details" : "### Impact: \nThe mergeDeep() function in the web3-utils package has been identified for Prototype Pollution vulnerability. An attacker has the ability to modify an object's prototype, which could result in changing the behavior of all objects that inherit from the impacted prototype by providing carefully crafted input to function.\n\n### Patches: \nIt has been fixed in web3-utils version 4.2.1 so all packages and apps depending on web3-utils >=4.0.1 and <=4.2.0 should upgrade to web3-utils 4.2.1.\n\n### Workarounds: \nNone\n",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "web3-utils"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.0.1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.2.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/web3/web3.js/security/advisories/GHSA-2g4c-8fpm-c46v"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-21505"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/web3/web3.js/commit/8ed041c6635d807b3da8960ad49e125e3d1b0e80"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/web3/web3.js"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-WEB3UTILS-6229337"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-1321" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-03-27T21:57:42Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}