CVE-2018-16490: Mpath Prototype Pollution Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-h466-j336-74wx
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-1321 CWE-400
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-16490 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) prototype pollution vulnerability (CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution')) affecting Mpath libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves prototype pollution in mpath. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.5.1.

CVE-2018-16490 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-16490
GHSA Identifier GHSA-h466-j336-74wx
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution')
Affected Product Mpath
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N).

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 None (C:N)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2018-16490

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

mpath fixed: 0.5.1 
npm install mpath@0.5.1
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 mpath

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2018-16490, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls mpath

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Mpath in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.5.1), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls mpath 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 Mpath, 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

Versions of `mpath` before 0.5.1 are vulnerable to prototype pollution. Provided certain input `mpath` can add or modify properties of the `Object` prototype. These properties will be present on all objects. ## Recommendation Update to version `0.5.1` or later.

CVE-2018-16490 Affected Mpath Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.5.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
mpath
npm/mpath
npm
< 0.5.1
0.5.1

References

NVD — CVE-2018-16490 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-16490
hackerone.com/reports/390860 WEB
https://hackerone.com/reports/390860
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-h466-j336-74wx
www.npmjs.com/advisories/779 WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/779

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-16490?
CVE-2018-16490 is a security vulnerability in Mpath involving Prototype Pollution in mpath under CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution').
Which Mpath versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.5.1 across affected packages: mpath.
What version fixes CVE-2018-16490?
Upgrading to 0.5.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is mpath affected?
Yes, mpath is affected in releases prior to 0.5.1. Upgrade your dependency to 0.5.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-16490?
CVE-2018-16490 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-16490?
CVE-2018-16490 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-2018-16490?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls mpath'. 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-h466-j336-74wx",
  "modified" : "2023-09-07T18:22:30Z",
  "published" : "2019-02-07T18:17:26Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-16490" ],
  "summary" : "Prototype Pollution in mpath",
  "details" : "Versions of `mpath` before 0.5.1 are vulnerable to prototype pollution. Provided certain input `mpath` can add or modify properties of the `Object` prototype. These properties will be present on all objects.\n\n\n## Recommendation\n\nUpdate to version `0.5.1` or later.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "mpath"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.5.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-16490"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://hackerone.com/reports/390860"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-h466-j336-74wx"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/779"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-1321", "CWE-400" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:38:42Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}