CVE-2018-3720: Assign deep Prototype Pollution Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-xcvv-84j5-jw9h
Share
CVSS 8.8
CWE-1321 CWE-471
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-3720 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.8) prototype pollution vulnerability (CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution')) affecting Assign deep libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves prototype pollution in assign-deep. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.4.7.

CVE-2018-3720 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-3720
GHSA Identifier GHSA-xcvv-84j5-jw9h
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.8
CWE Classification CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution')
Affected Product Assign deep
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.8

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
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-2018-3720

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

assign-deep fixed: 0.4.7 
npm install assign-deep@0.4.7
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 assign-deep

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2018-3720, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls assign-deep

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Assign deep in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.4.7), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls assign-deep 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 Assign deep, 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 `assign-deep` before 0.4.7 are vulnerable to prototype pollution via merging functions. ## Recommendation Update to version 0.4.7 or later.

CVE-2018-3720 Affected Assign deep Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.4.7
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
assign-deep
npm/assign-deep
npm
< 0.4.7
0.4.7

References

NVD — CVE-2018-3720 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-3720
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/jonschlinkert/assign-deep/commit/19953a8c089b0328c470acaaaf6accdfcb34da11
hackerone.com/reports/310707 WEB
https://hackerone.com/reports/310707
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-xcvv-84j5-jw9h
www.npmjs.com/advisories/579 WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/579

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-3720?
CVE-2018-3720 is a security vulnerability in Assign deep involving Prototype Pollution in assign-deep under CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution').
Which Assign deep versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.4.7 across affected packages: assign-deep.
What version fixes CVE-2018-3720?
Upgrading to 0.4.7 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is assign-deep affected?
Yes, assign-deep is affected in releases prior to 0.4.7. Upgrade your dependency to 0.4.7 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-3720?
CVE-2018-3720 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-3720?
CVE-2018-3720 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-2018-3720?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls assign-deep'. 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-xcvv-84j5-jw9h",
  "modified" : "2023-03-01T01:46:49Z",
  "published" : "2018-07-26T15:12:31Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-3720" ],
  "summary" : "Prototype Pollution in assign-deep",
  "details" : "Versions of `assign-deep` before 0.4.7 are vulnerable to prototype pollution via merging functions.\n\n\n## Recommendation\n\nUpdate to version 0.4.7 or later.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "assign-deep"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.4.7"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-3720"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/jonschlinkert/assign-deep/commit/19953a8c089b0328c470acaaaf6accdfcb34da11"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://hackerone.com/reports/310707"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-xcvv-84j5-jw9h"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/579"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-1321", "CWE-471" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T22:03:01Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2018-06-07T02:29:00Z"
  }
}