CVE-2022-21189: Dexie Prototype Pollution Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-3xgx-r9j4-qw9w
Share
CVSS 7.3
CWE-1321
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2022-21189 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.3) prototype pollution vulnerability (CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution')) affecting Dexie libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves prototype pollution in dexie. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.2.2, 4.0.0-alpha.3.

CVE-2022-21189 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2022-21189
GHSA Identifier GHSA-3xgx-r9j4-qw9w
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.3
CWE Classification CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution')
Affected Product Dexie
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-2022-21189

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

dexie fixed: 3.2.2 
npm install dexie@3.2.2
dexie fixed: 4.0.0-alpha.3 
npm install dexie@4.0.0-alpha.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 dexie

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2022-21189, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls dexie

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Dexie in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.2.2), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls dexie 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 Dexie, 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

Dexie is a minimalistic wrapper for IndexedDB. The package dexie before 3.2.2, from 4.0.0-alpha.1 and before 4.0.0-alpha.3 are vulnerable to Prototype Pollution in the Dexie.setByKeyPath(obj, keyPath, value) function which does not properly check the keys being set (like __proto__ or constructor). This can allow an attacker to add/modify properties of the Object.prototype leading to prototype pollution vulnerability. **Note:** This vulnerability can occur in multiple ways, for example when modifying a collection with untrusted user input.

CVE-2022-21189 Affected Dexie Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.2.24.0.0-alpha.3
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
dexie
npm/dexie
npm
< 3.2.2
3.2.2
dexie
npm/dexie
npm
≥ 4.0.0-alpha.1
< 4.0.0-alpha.3
4.0.0-alpha.3

References

NVD — CVE-2022-21189 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-21189
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/dexie/Dexie.js/commit/1d655a69b9f28c3af6fae10cf5c61df387dc689b
Dexie Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/dexie/Dexie.js
Dexie Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/dexie/Dexie.js/blob/fe682ef24568278c3b31d9d6c93de095d4b77ae8/src/functions/utils.ts%23L134-L164
snyk.io/vuln/snyk-java-orgw... WEB
https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JAVA-ORGWEBJARSNPM-2805308
snyk.io/vuln/snyk-js-dexie-... WEB
https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-DEXIE-2607042

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-21189?
CVE-2022-21189 is a security vulnerability in Dexie involving Prototype Pollution in Dexie under CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution').
Which Dexie versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.2.2, 4.0.0-alpha.3 across affected packages: dexie.
What version fixes CVE-2022-21189?
Upgrading to 3.2.2, 4.0.0-alpha.3 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is dexie affected?
Yes, dexie is affected in releases prior to 3.2.2, 4.0.0-alpha.3. Upgrade your dependency to 3.2.2, 4.0.0-alpha.3 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2022-21189?
CVE-2022-21189 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-2022-21189?
CVE-2022-21189 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-2022-21189?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls dexie'. 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-3xgx-r9j4-qw9w",
  "modified" : "2022-05-23T20:12:28Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-03T00:00:46Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2022-21189" ],
  "summary" : "Prototype Pollution in Dexie",
  "details" : "Dexie is a minimalistic wrapper for IndexedDB. The package dexie before 3.2.2, from 4.0.0-alpha.1 and before 4.0.0-alpha.3 are vulnerable to Prototype Pollution in the Dexie.setByKeyPath(obj, keyPath, value) function which does not properly check the keys being set (like __proto__ or constructor). This can allow an attacker to add/modify properties of the Object.prototype leading to prototype pollution vulnerability. **Note:** This vulnerability can occur in multiple ways, for example when modifying a collection with untrusted user input.",
  "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" : "dexie"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.2.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "dexie"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.0.0-alpha.1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.0.0-alpha.3"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 4.0.0-alpha.2"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-21189"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/dexie/Dexie.js/commit/1d655a69b9f28c3af6fae10cf5c61df387dc689b"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/dexie/Dexie.js"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/dexie/Dexie.js/blob/fe682ef24568278c3b31d9d6c93de095d4b77ae8/src/functions/utils.ts%23L134-L164"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JAVA-ORGWEBJARSNPM-2805308"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-DEXIE-2607042"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-1321" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-05-23T20:12:28Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-05-01T16:15:00Z"
  }
}