CVE-2020-7743: Mathjs Prototype Pollution Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-x2fc-mxcx-w4mf
Share
CVSS 7.3
CWE-915
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-7743 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.3) prototype pollution vulnerability (CWE-915: Improperly Controlled Modification of Dynamically-Determined Object Attributes) affecting Mathjs libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves prototype pollution in mathjs. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 7.5.1.

CVE-2020-7743 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-7743
GHSA Identifier GHSA-x2fc-mxcx-w4mf
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.3
CWE Classification CWE-915: Improperly Controlled Modification of Dynamically-Determined Object Attributes
Affected Product Mathjs
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.3

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:L/I:L/A:L).

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 Low (C:L)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability Low (A:L)

How to Fix CVE-2020-7743

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

mathjs fixed: 7.5.1 
npm install mathjs@7.5.1
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 mathjs

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2020-7743, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls mathjs

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Mathjs in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 7.5.1), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls mathjs 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-915: Improperly Controlled Modification of Dynamically-Determined Object Attributes, where the product receives input from an upstream component that specifies multiple attributes, properties, or fields that are to be initialized or updated in an object, but it does not properly control which attributes can be modified. In Mathjs, 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

The package mathjs before 7.5.1 are vulnerable to Prototype Pollution via the deepExtend function that runs upon configuration updates.

CVE-2020-7743 Affected Mathjs Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
7.5.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
mathjs
npm/mathjs
npm
< 7.5.1
7.5.1

References

NVD — CVE-2020-7743 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-7743
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/josdejong/mathjs/commit/ecb80514e80bce4e6ec7e71db8ff79954f07c57e
Mathjs Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/josdejong/mathjs/blob/develop/HISTORY.md#2020-10-10-version-751
Mathjs Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/josdejong/mathjs/blob/develop/src/utils/object.js%23L82
snyk.io/vuln/snyk-java-orgw... WEB
https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JAVA-ORGWEBJARS-1017113
snyk.io/vuln/snyk-java-orgw... WEB
https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JAVA-ORGWEBJARSBOWER-1017112
snyk.io/vuln/snyk-java-orgw... WEB
https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JAVA-ORGWEBJARSNPM-1017111
snyk.io/vuln/snyk-js-mathjs... WEB
https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-MATHJS-1016401
www.npmjs.com/package/mathjs WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/package/mathjs

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-7743?
CVE-2020-7743 is a security vulnerability in Mathjs involving Prototype Pollution in mathjs under CWE-915: Improperly Controlled Modification of Dynamically-Determined Object Attributes.
Which Mathjs versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 7.5.1 across affected packages: mathjs.
What version fixes CVE-2020-7743?
Upgrading to 7.5.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is mathjs affected?
Yes, mathjs is affected in releases prior to 7.5.1. Upgrade your dependency to 7.5.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-7743?
CVE-2020-7743 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.3 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-7743?
CVE-2020-7743 is classified under CWE-915: Improperly Controlled Modification of Dynamically-Determined Object Attributes (The product receives input from an upstream component that specifies multiple attributes, properties, or fields that are to be initialized or updated in an object, but it does not properly control which attributes can be modified.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2020-7743?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls mathjs'. 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-x2fc-mxcx-w4mf",
  "modified" : "2022-07-05T17:36:48Z",
  "published" : "2021-05-10T18:39:04Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-7743" ],
  "summary" : "Prototype Pollution in mathjs",
  "details" : "The package mathjs before 7.5.1 are vulnerable to Prototype Pollution via the deepExtend function that runs upon configuration updates.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "mathjs"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "7.5.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-7743"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/josdejong/mathjs/commit/ecb80514e80bce4e6ec7e71db8ff79954f07c57e"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/josdejong/mathjs/blob/develop/HISTORY.md#2020-10-10-version-751"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/josdejong/mathjs/blob/develop/src/utils/object.js%23L82"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JAVA-ORGWEBJARS-1017113"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JAVA-ORGWEBJARSBOWER-1017112"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JAVA-ORGWEBJARSNPM-1017111"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-MATHJS-1016401"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/package/mathjs"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-915" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-04-21T19:47:53Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-10-13T10:15:00Z"
  }
}