CVE-2026-44290: Protobufjs Denial of Service Vulnerability
HIGHCVE-2026-44290 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) denial of service vulnerability (CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution')) affecting Protobufjs libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves process-wide denial of service through unsafe option paths. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 7.5.6, 8.0.2.
CVE-2026-44290 at a Glance
Security Impact
CVSS: 7.5
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:N/I:N/A:H).
How to Fix CVE-2026-44290
To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Protobufjs dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.
npm install protobufjs@7.5.6npm install protobufjs@8.0.2Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:
npm ls protobufjsHow to Check if You Are Affected
To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2026-44290, inspect your project dependencies using npm:
npm ls protobufjsAnalyze the terminal output to locate any version of Protobufjs in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 7.5.6), your application is affected.
Note: The npm ls protobufjs 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 Protobufjs, 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
CVE-2026-44290 Affected Protobufjs Versions
2 component(s)| Product / Package | Ecosystem | Affected Versions | Fixed Version |
|---|---|---|---|
|
protobufjs
|
npm |
< 7.5.6
|
7.5.6
|
|
protobufjs
|
npm |
≥ 8.0.0
< 8.0.2
|
8.0.2
|
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2026-44290?
Which Protobufjs versions are affected?
What version fixes CVE-2026-44290?
Is protobufjs affected?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-44290?
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-44290?
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-44290?
Machine-readable OSV JSON
OSV v1.5 Schema
{
"schema_version" : "1.4.0",
"id" : "GHSA-jvwf-75h9-cwgg",
"modified" : "2026-05-14T20:35:12Z",
"published" : "2026-05-12T15:01:13Z",
"aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-44290" ],
"summary" : "protobuf.js: Process-wide denial of service through unsafe option paths",
"details" : "## Summary\n\nprotobufjs allowed certain schema option paths to traverse through inherited object properties while applying options. A crafted protobuf schema or JSON descriptor could cause option handling to write to properties on global JavaScript constructors, corrupting process-wide built-in functionality.\n\n## Impact\n\nAn attacker who can provide or influence protobuf schemas or JSON descriptors may be able to corrupt built-in process state in a way that causes subsequent application code or protobufjs code to fail. This can result in a persistent denial of service for the lifetime of the affected process.\n\nThis issue affects applications that parse or load protobuf schemas or descriptors from untrusted sources. Applications that use bundled, generated, or otherwise trusted schemas to decode untrusted protobuf message payloads are not directly affected.\n\nThe issue is not known to allow code execution by itself.\n\n## Preconditions\n\n- The application must allow an attacker to control or influence a protobuf schema or JSON descriptor.\n- The application must parse or load that schema through protobufjs reflection APIs such as `parse`, `Root.load`, `Root.loadSync`, or `Root.fromJSON`.\n- The crafted input must contain option paths that reach unsafe inherited properties during option processing.\n\n## Workarounds\n\nDo not parse or load protobuf schemas or JSON descriptors from untrusted sources with affected versions. If untrusted schemas must be accepted, validate or reject option names containing unsafe property path components before loading them, and run schema processing in an isolated process.",
"severity" : [ {
"type" : "CVSS_V3",
"score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
} ],
"affected" : [ {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "npm",
"name" : "protobufjs"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "0"
}, {
"fixed" : "7.5.6"
} ]
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 7.5.5"
}
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "npm",
"name" : "protobufjs"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "8.0.0"
}, {
"fixed" : "8.0.2"
} ]
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 8.0.1"
}
} ],
"references" : [ {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/protobufjs/protobuf.js/security/advisories/GHSA-jvwf-75h9-cwgg"
}, {
"type" : "ADVISORY",
"url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-44290"
}, {
"type" : "PACKAGE",
"url" : "https://github.com/protobufjs/protobuf.js"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/protobufjs/protobuf.js/releases/tag/protobufjs-v7.5.6"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/protobufjs/protobuf.js/releases/tag/protobufjs-v8.0.2"
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-1321" ],
"severity" : "HIGH",
"github_reviewed" : true,
"github_reviewed_at" : "2026-05-12T15:01:13Z",
"nvd_published_at" : "2026-05-13T16:16:55Z"
}
}