CVE-2021-23434: Object path Prototype Pollution Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-v39p-96qg-c8rf
Share
CVSS 5.6
CWE-1321 CWE-843
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-23434 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.6) prototype pollution vulnerability (CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution')) affecting Object path libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves prototype pollution in object-path. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.11.6.

CVE-2021-23434 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-23434
GHSA Identifier GHSA-v39p-96qg-c8rf
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.6
CWE Classification CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution')
Affected Product Object path
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-2021-23434

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

object-path fixed: 0.11.6 
npm install object-path@0.11.6
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 object-path

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2021-23434, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls object-path

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Object path in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.11.6), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls object-path 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 Object path, 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

This affects the package object-path before 0.11.6. A type confusion vulnerability can lead to a bypass of CVE-2020-15256 when the path components used in the path parameter are arrays. In particular, the condition `currentPath === '__proto__'` returns false if `currentPath` is `['__proto__']`. This is because the `===` operator returns always false when the type of the operands is different.

CVE-2021-23434 Affected Object path Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.11.6
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
object-path
npm/object-path
npm
< 0.11.6
0.11.6

References

NVD — CVE-2021-23434 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-23434
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/mariocasciaro/object-path/commit/7bdf4abefd102d16c163d633e8994ef154cab9eb
snyk.io/vuln/snyk-js-object... WEB
https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-OBJECTPATH-1569453
Object path Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/mariocasciaro/object-path
Object path Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/mariocasciaro/object-path#0116
Object path Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/mariocasciaro/object-path%230116
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce... WEB
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/01/msg00031.html
snyk.io/vuln/snyk-java-orgw... WEB
https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JAVA-ORGWEBJARSNPM-1570423

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-23434?
CVE-2021-23434 is a security vulnerability in Object path involving Prototype Pollution in object-path under CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution').
Which Object path versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.11.6 across affected packages: object-path.
What version fixes CVE-2021-23434?
Upgrading to 0.11.6 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is object-path affected?
Yes, object-path is affected in releases prior to 0.11.6. Upgrade your dependency to 0.11.6 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-23434?
CVE-2021-23434 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-2021-23434?
CVE-2021-23434 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-2021-23434?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls object-path'. 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-v39p-96qg-c8rf",
  "modified" : "2023-09-08T21:25:42Z",
  "published" : "2021-09-01T18:37:11Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-23434" ],
  "summary" : "Prototype Pollution in object-path",
  "details" : "This affects the package object-path before 0.11.6. A type confusion vulnerability can lead to a bypass of CVE-2020-15256 when the path components used in the path parameter are arrays. In particular, the condition `currentPath === '__proto__'` returns false if `currentPath` is `['__proto__']`. This is because the `===` operator returns always false when the type of the operands is different.",
  "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" : "object-path"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.11.6"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-23434"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mariocasciaro/object-path/commit/7bdf4abefd102d16c163d633e8994ef154cab9eb"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mariocasciaro/object-path"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mariocasciaro/object-path#0116"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mariocasciaro/object-path%230116"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/01/msg00031.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JAVA-ORGWEBJARSNPM-1570423"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-OBJECTPATH-1569453"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-1321", "CWE-843" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-08-30T18:16:08Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-08-27T17:15:00Z"
  }
}