CVE-2022-21190: Convict Prototype Pollution Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-jjf5-wx3j-3fv7
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-1321
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2022-21190 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) prototype pollution vulnerability (CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution')) affecting Convict libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves prototype pollution in convict. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 6.2.3.

CVE-2022-21190 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2022-21190
GHSA Identifier GHSA-jjf5-wx3j-3fv7
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution')
Affected Product Convict
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

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:H/I:H/A:H).

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 High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2022-21190

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

convict fixed: 6.2.3 
npm install convict@6.2.3
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 convict

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2022-21190, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls convict

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Convict in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 6.2.3), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls convict 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 Convict, 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 convict before 6.2.3. This is a bypass of [CVE-2022-22143](https://security.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-CONVICT-2340604). The [fix](https://github.com/mozilla/node-convict/commit/3b86be087d8f14681a9c889d45da7fe3ad9cd880) introduced, relies on the startsWith method and does not prevent the vulnerability: before splitting the path, it checks if it starts with __proto__ or this.constructor.prototype. To bypass this check it's possible to prepend the dangerous paths with any string value followed by a dot, like for example foo.__proto__ or foo.this.constructor.prototype.

CVE-2022-21190 Affected Convict Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
6.2.3
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
convict
npm/convict
npm
< 6.2.3
6.2.3

References

NVD — CVE-2022-21190 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-21190
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/mozilla/node-convict/commit/1ea0ab19c5208f66509e1c43b0d0f21c1fd29b75
Convict Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://gist.github.com/dellalibera/cebce20e51410acebff1f46afdc89808
Convict Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/mozilla/node-convict
Convict Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/mozilla/node-convict/blob/3b86be087d8f14681a9c889d45da7fe3ad9cd880/packages/convict/src/main.js%23L571
Convict Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/mozilla/node-convict/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md%23623---2022-05-07
snyk.io/vuln/snyk-js-convic... WEB
https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-CONVICT-2774757

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-21190?
CVE-2022-21190 is a security vulnerability in Convict involving Prototype Pollution in convict under CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution').
Which Convict versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 6.2.3 across affected packages: convict.
What version fixes CVE-2022-21190?
Upgrading to 6.2.3 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is convict affected?
Yes, convict is affected in releases prior to 6.2.3. Upgrade your dependency to 6.2.3 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2022-21190?
CVE-2022-21190 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2022-21190?
CVE-2022-21190 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-2022-21190?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls convict'. 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-jjf5-wx3j-3fv7",
  "modified" : "2022-05-25T22:54:49Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-14T00:01:09Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2022-21190" ],
  "summary" : "Prototype Pollution in convict",
  "details" : "This affects the package convict before 6.2.3. This is a bypass of [CVE-2022-22143](https://security.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-CONVICT-2340604). The [fix](https://github.com/mozilla/node-convict/commit/3b86be087d8f14681a9c889d45da7fe3ad9cd880) introduced, relies on the startsWith method and does not prevent the vulnerability: before splitting the path, it checks if it starts with __proto__ or this.constructor.prototype. To bypass this check it's possible to prepend the dangerous paths with any string value followed by a dot, like for example foo.__proto__ or foo.this.constructor.prototype.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "convict"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "6.2.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-21190"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mozilla/node-convict/commit/1ea0ab19c5208f66509e1c43b0d0f21c1fd29b75"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://gist.github.com/dellalibera/cebce20e51410acebff1f46afdc89808"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mozilla/node-convict"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mozilla/node-convict/blob/3b86be087d8f14681a9c889d45da7fe3ad9cd880/packages/convict/src/main.js%23L571"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mozilla/node-convict/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md%23623---2022-05-07"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-CONVICT-2774757"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-1321" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-05-25T22:54:49Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-05-13T20:15:00Z"
  }
}