CVE-2020-7598: Minimist Prototype Pollution Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-vh95-rmgr-6w4m
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CVSS 5.6
CWE-1321
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-7598 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.6) prototype pollution vulnerability (CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution')) affecting Minimist libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves prototype pollution in minimist. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.2.1, 1.2.3.

CVE-2020-7598 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-7598
GHSA Identifier GHSA-vh95-rmgr-6w4m
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.6
CWE Classification CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution')
Affected Product Minimist
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.6

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
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-2020-7598

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

minimist fixed: 0.2.1 
npm install minimist@0.2.1
minimist fixed: 1.2.3 
npm install minimist@1.2.3
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 minimist

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2020-7598, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls minimist

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Minimist in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.2.1), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls minimist 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 Minimist, 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

Affected versions of `minimist` are vulnerable to prototype pollution. Arguments are not properly sanitized, allowing an attacker to modify the prototype of `Object`, causing the addition or modification of an existing property that will exist on all objects. Parsing the argument `--__proto__.y=Polluted` adds a `y` property with value `Polluted` to all objects. The argument `--__proto__=Polluted` raises and uncaught error and crashes the application. This is exploitable if attackers have control over the arguments being passed to `minimist`. ## Recommendation Upgrade to versions 0.2.1, 1.2.3 or later.

CVE-2020-7598 Affected Minimist Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.2.11.2.3
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
minimist
npm/minimist
npm
< 0.2.1
0.2.1
minimist
npm/minimist
npm
≥ 1.0.0
< 1.2.3
1.2.3

References

NVD — CVE-2020-7598 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-7598
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/minimistjs/minimist/commit/10bd4cdf49d9686d48214be9d579a9cdfda37c68
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/minimistjs/minimist/commit/38a4d1caead72ef99e824bb420a2528eec03d9ab
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/minimistjs/minimist/commit/4cf1354839cb972e38496d35e12f806eea92c11f#diff-a1e0ee62c91705696ddb71aa30ad4f95
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/minimistjs/minimist/commit/63e7ed05aa4b1889ec2f3b196426db4500cbda94
Minimist Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/substack/minimist
snyk.io/vuln/snyk-js-minimi... WEB
https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-MINIMIST-559764
www.npmjs.com/advisories/1179 WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/1179
Minimist Security Information SECURITY
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-06/msg00024.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-7598?
CVE-2020-7598 is a security vulnerability in Minimist involving Prototype Pollution in minimist under CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution').
Which Minimist versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.2.1, 1.2.3 across affected packages: minimist.
What version fixes CVE-2020-7598?
Upgrading to 0.2.1, 1.2.3 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is minimist affected?
Yes, minimist is affected in releases prior to 0.2.1, 1.2.3. Upgrade your dependency to 0.2.1, 1.2.3 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-7598?
CVE-2020-7598 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.6 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-7598?
CVE-2020-7598 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-2020-7598?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls minimist'. 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-vh95-rmgr-6w4m",
  "modified" : "2024-02-13T20:00:13Z",
  "published" : "2020-04-03T21:48:32Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-7598" ],
  "summary" : "Prototype Pollution in minimist",
  "details" : "Affected versions of `minimist` are vulnerable to prototype pollution. Arguments are not properly sanitized, allowing an attacker to modify the prototype of `Object`, causing the addition or modification of an existing property that will exist on all objects.  \nParsing the argument `--__proto__.y=Polluted` adds a `y` property with value `Polluted` to all objects. The argument `--__proto__=Polluted` raises and uncaught error and crashes the application.  \nThis is exploitable if attackers have control over the arguments being passed to `minimist`.\n\n\n## Recommendation\n\nUpgrade to versions 0.2.1, 1.2.3 or later.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "minimist"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.2.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "minimist"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "1.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.2.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-7598"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/minimistjs/minimist/commit/10bd4cdf49d9686d48214be9d579a9cdfda37c68"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/minimistjs/minimist/commit/38a4d1caead72ef99e824bb420a2528eec03d9ab"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/minimistjs/minimist/commit/4cf1354839cb972e38496d35e12f806eea92c11f#diff-a1e0ee62c91705696ddb71aa30ad4f95"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/minimistjs/minimist/commit/63e7ed05aa4b1889ec2f3b196426db4500cbda94"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/substack/minimist"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-MINIMIST-559764"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/1179"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-06/msg00024.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-1321" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-04-03T21:42:08Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-03-11T23:15:00Z"
  }
}