CVE-2022-21803: Nconf Prototype Pollution Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-6xwr-q98w-rvg7
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CVSS 7.3
CWE-1321
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2022-21803 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.3) prototype pollution vulnerability (CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution')) affecting Nconf libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves prototype pollution in nconf. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.11.4.

CVE-2022-21803 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2022-21803
GHSA Identifier GHSA-6xwr-q98w-rvg7
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.3
CWE Classification CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution')
Affected Product Nconf
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.3

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:L/I:L/A:L).

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 Low (C:L)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability Low (A:L)

How to Fix CVE-2022-21803

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

nconf fixed: 0.11.4 
npm install nconf@0.11.4
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 nconf

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2022-21803, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls nconf

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Nconf in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.11.4), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls nconf 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 Nconf, 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

nconf before 0.11.4. When using the memory engine, it is possible to store a nested JSON representation of the configuration. The .set() function, that is responsible for setting the configuration properties, is vulnerable to Prototype Pollution. By providing a crafted property, it is possible to modify the properties on the Object.prototype.

CVE-2022-21803 Affected Nconf Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.11.4
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
nconf
npm/nconf
npm
< 0.11.4
0.11.4

References

NVD — CVE-2022-21803 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-21803
Nconf Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/indexzero/nconf/pull/397
Nconf Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/indexzero/nconf
Nconf Release RELEASE
https://github.com/indexzero/nconf/releases/tag/v0.11.4
snyk.io/vuln/snyk-js-nconf-... WEB
https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-NCONF-2395478

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-21803?
CVE-2022-21803 is a security vulnerability in Nconf involving Prototype Pollution in nconf under CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution').
Which Nconf versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.11.4 across affected packages: nconf.
What version fixes CVE-2022-21803?
Upgrading to 0.11.4 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is nconf affected?
Yes, nconf is affected in releases prior to 0.11.4. Upgrade your dependency to 0.11.4 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2022-21803?
CVE-2022-21803 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.3 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2022-21803?
CVE-2022-21803 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-2022-21803?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls nconf'. 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-6xwr-q98w-rvg7",
  "modified" : "2022-04-22T20:32:05Z",
  "published" : "2022-04-13T00:00:30Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2022-21803" ],
  "summary" : "Prototype Pollution in nconf",
  "details" : "nconf before 0.11.4. When using the memory engine, it is possible to store a nested JSON representation of the configuration. The .set() function, that is responsible for setting the configuration properties, is vulnerable to Prototype Pollution. By providing a crafted property, it is possible to modify the properties on the Object.prototype.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "nconf"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.11.4"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-21803"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/indexzero/nconf/pull/397"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/indexzero/nconf"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/indexzero/nconf/releases/tag/v0.11.4"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-NCONF-2395478"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-1321" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-04-22T20:31:22Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-04-12T16:15:00Z"
  }
}