CVE-2020-7751: Pathval Prototype Pollution Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-g6ww-v8xp-vmwg
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CVSS 7.2
CWE-1321 CWE-20
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-7751 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.2) prototype pollution vulnerability (CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution')) affecting Pathval libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves prototype pollution in pathval. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.1.1.

CVE-2020-7751 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-7751
GHSA Identifier GHSA-g6ww-v8xp-vmwg
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.2
CWE Classification CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution')
Affected Product Pathval
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.2

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2020-7751

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

pathval fixed: 1.1.1 
npm install pathval@1.1.1
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 pathval

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2020-7751, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls pathval

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Pathval in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.1.1), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls pathval 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 Pathval, 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

A prototype pollution vulnerability affects all versions of package pathval under 1.1.1.

CVE-2020-7751 Affected Pathval Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.1.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
pathval
npm/pathval
npm
< 1.1.1
1.1.1

References

NVD — CVE-2020-7751 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-7751
Pathval Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/chaijs/pathval/pull/58/commits/21a9046cfa0c2697cb41990f3b4316db410e6c8a
Pathval Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/chaijs/pathval/pull/58/files
Pathval Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/chaijs/pathval
Pathval Release RELEASE
https://github.com/chaijs/pathval/releases/tag/v1.1.1
snyk.io/vuln/snyk-js-pathva... WEB
https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-PATHVAL-596926

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-7751?
CVE-2020-7751 is a security vulnerability in Pathval involving Prototype pollution in pathval under CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution').
Which Pathval versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.1.1 across affected packages: pathval.
What version fixes CVE-2020-7751?
Upgrading to 1.1.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is pathval affected?
Yes, pathval is affected in releases prior to 1.1.1. Upgrade your dependency to 1.1.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-7751?
CVE-2020-7751 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.2 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-7751?
CVE-2020-7751 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-2020-7751?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls pathval'. 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-g6ww-v8xp-vmwg",
  "modified" : "2022-04-18T21:58:49Z",
  "published" : "2022-02-10T20:21:24Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-7751" ],
  "summary" : "Prototype pollution in pathval",
  "details" : "A prototype pollution vulnerability affects all versions of package pathval under 1.1.1.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "pathval"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.1.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-7751"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/chaijs/pathval/pull/58/commits/21a9046cfa0c2697cb41990f3b4316db410e6c8a"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/chaijs/pathval/pull/58/files"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/chaijs/pathval"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/chaijs/pathval/releases/tag/v1.1.1"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-PATHVAL-596926"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-1321", "CWE-20" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-04-20T17:32:20Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-10-26T12:17:00Z"
  }
}