CVE-2023-36665: Protobufjs Protobufjs Prototype Pollution Vulnerability Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-h755-8qp9-cq85
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-1321
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-36665 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) protobufjs prototype pollution vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution')) affecting Protobufjs libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves protobufjs prototype pollution vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 7.2.5, 6.11.4.

CVE-2023-36665 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-36665
GHSA Identifier GHSA-h755-8qp9-cq85
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution')
Affected Product Protobufjs
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

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:H/I:H/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 High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2023-36665

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

protobufjs fixed: 7.2.5 
npm install protobufjs@7.2.5
protobufjs fixed: 6.11.4 
npm install protobufjs@6.11.4
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 protobufjs

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2023-36665, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls protobufjs

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Protobufjs in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 7.2.5), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls protobufjs 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 Protobufjs, 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

protobuf.js (aka protobufjs) 6.10.0 until 6.11.4 and 7.0.0 until 7.2.4 allows Prototype Pollution, a different vulnerability than CVE-2022-25878. A user-controlled protobuf message can be used by an attacker to pollute the prototype of Object.prototype by adding and overwriting its data and functions. Exploitation can involve: (1) using the function parse to parse protobuf messages on the fly, (2) loading .proto files by using load/loadSync functions, or (3) providing untrusted input to the functions ReflectionObject.setParsedOption and util.setProperty. NOTE: this CVE Record is about `Object.constructor.prototype.<new-property> = ...;` whereas CVE-2022-25878 was about `Object.__proto__.<new-property> = ...;` instead.

CVE-2023-36665 Affected Protobufjs Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
7.2.56.11.4
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
protobufjs
npm/protobufjs
npm
≥ 7.0.0
< 7.2.5
7.2.5
protobufjs
npm/protobufjs
npm
≥ 6.10.0
< 6.11.4
6.11.4

References

NVD — CVE-2023-36665 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-36665
Protobufjs Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/protobufjs/protobuf.js/issues/1918#issuecomment-1723500294
Protobufjs Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/protobufjs/protobuf.js/pull/1899
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/protobufjs/protobuf.js/commit/e66379f451b0393c27d87b37fa7d271619e16b0d
Protobufjs Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/protobufjs/protobuf.js
Protobufjs Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/protobufjs/protobuf.js/commits/release-6.11.4
Protobufjs Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/protobufjs/protobuf.js/compare/protobufjs-v7.2.3...protobufjs-v7.2.4
Protobufjs Release RELEASE
https://github.com/protobufjs/protobuf.js/releases/tag/protobufjs-v7.2.4
Protobufjs Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20240628-0006
www.code-intelligence.com/blog/cve-protobufjs... WEB
https://www.code-intelligence.com/blog/cve-protobufjs-prototype-pollution-cve-2023-36665

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-36665?
CVE-2023-36665 is a security vulnerability in Protobufjs involving protobufjs Prototype Pollution vulnerability under CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution').
Which Protobufjs versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 7.2.5, 6.11.4 across affected packages: protobufjs.
What version fixes CVE-2023-36665?
Upgrading to 7.2.5, 6.11.4 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is protobufjs affected?
Yes, protobufjs is affected in releases prior to 7.2.5, 6.11.4. Upgrade your dependency to 7.2.5, 6.11.4 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-36665?
CVE-2023-36665 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-36665?
CVE-2023-36665 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-2023-36665?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls protobufjs'. 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-h755-8qp9-cq85",
  "modified" : "2024-06-28T18:31:41Z",
  "published" : "2023-07-05T15:30:24Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-36665" ],
  "summary" : "protobufjs Prototype Pollution vulnerability",
  "details" : "protobuf.js (aka protobufjs) 6.10.0 until 6.11.4 and 7.0.0 until 7.2.4 allows Prototype Pollution, a different vulnerability than CVE-2022-25878. A user-controlled protobuf message can be used by an attacker to pollute the prototype of Object.prototype by adding and overwriting its data and functions. Exploitation can involve: (1) using the function parse to parse protobuf messages on the fly, (2) loading .proto files by using load/loadSync functions, or (3) providing untrusted input to the functions ReflectionObject.setParsedOption and util.setProperty. NOTE: this CVE Record is about `Object.constructor.prototype.<new-property> = ...;` whereas CVE-2022-25878 was about `Object.__proto__.<new-property> = ...;` instead.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "protobufjs"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "7.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "7.2.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "protobufjs"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "6.10.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "6.11.4"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-36665"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/protobufjs/protobuf.js/issues/1918#issuecomment-1723500294"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/protobufjs/protobuf.js/pull/1899"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/protobufjs/protobuf.js/commit/e66379f451b0393c27d87b37fa7d271619e16b0d"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/protobufjs/protobuf.js"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/protobufjs/protobuf.js/commits/release-6.11.4"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/protobufjs/protobuf.js/compare/protobufjs-v7.2.3...protobufjs-v7.2.4"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/protobufjs/protobuf.js/releases/tag/protobufjs-v7.2.4"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20240628-0006"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.code-intelligence.com/blog/cve-protobufjs-prototype-pollution-cve-2023-36665"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-1321" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-07-07T20:19:02Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-07-05T14:15:09Z"
  }
}