CVE-2020-7723: Promisehelpers Prototype Pollution Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-rj5f-7c8x-gjg4
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-1321
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-7723 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) prototype pollution vulnerability (CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution')) affecting Promisehelpers libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves prototype pollution in promisehelpers. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2020-7723 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-7723
GHSA Identifier GHSA-rj5f-7c8x-gjg4
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution')
Affected Product Promisehelpers
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-2020-7723

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

promisehelpers fixed: Latest secure release 
npm install promisehelpers@Latest secure release
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 promisehelpers

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2020-7723, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls promisehelpers

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

Note: The npm ls promisehelpers 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 Promisehelpers, 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

All versions of package promisehelpers up to and including version 0.0.5 are vulnerable to Prototype Pollution via the insert function.

CVE-2020-7723 Affected Promisehelpers Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
promisehelpers
npm/promisehelpers
npm
≤ 0.0.5

References

NVD — CVE-2020-7723 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-7723
snyk.io/vuln/snyk-js-promis... WEB
https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-PROMISEHELPERS-598686

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-7723?
CVE-2020-7723 is a security vulnerability in Promisehelpers involving Prototype Pollution in promisehelpers under CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution').
Which Promisehelpers versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: promisehelpers.
What version fixes CVE-2020-7723?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is promisehelpers affected?
Yes, promisehelpers is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-7723?
CVE-2020-7723 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-2020-7723?
CVE-2020-7723 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-2020-7723?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls promisehelpers'. 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-rj5f-7c8x-gjg4",
  "modified" : "2021-05-05T18:14:15Z",
  "published" : "2021-05-06T18:26:07Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-7723" ],
  "summary" : "Prototype Pollution in promisehelpers",
  "details" : "All versions of package promisehelpers up to and including version 0.0.5 are vulnerable to Prototype Pollution via the insert function.",
  "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" : "promisehelpers"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "0.0.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-7723"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-PROMISEHELPERS-598686"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-1321" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-05-05T18:14:15Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-09-01T10:15:00Z"
  }
}