GHSA-fx83-v9x8-x52w
protobuf.js: Prototype injection in generated message constructors
Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| npm | protobufjs | < 7.5.6 | 7.5.6 |
| npm | protobufjs | >= 8.0.0, < 8.0.2 | 8.0.2 |
Details
As written in the advisory (Markdown source, shown as plain text).
## Summary
protobufjs generated message constructors copied enumerable properties from a provided properties object without filtering the `__proto__` key. If an application constructed a message from an attacker-controlled plain object, an own enumerable `__proto__` property could alter the prototype of that individual message instance.
## Impact
An attacker who can control the properties object passed to a generated protobufjs message constructor or creation helper may be able to modify the prototype chain of the resulting message instance.
This is a per-instance prototype injection issue. It does not pollute `Object.prototype` or other global prototypes. The impact depends on downstream application behavior, such as relying on inherited properties, prototype methods, or `instanceof` checks for message objects.
Applications that only decode binary protobuf data, or that construct messages from trusted application-defined objects, are not directly affected by this issue.
## Preconditions
- The application must allow an attacker to control or influence a plain object used to construct a protobufjs message.
- The object must contain an own enumerable `__proto__` property, for example from parsed JSON input.
- The application must pass that object to a generated message constructor or creation helper that copies arbitrary enumerable properties.
## Workarounds
Do not pass attacker-controlled plain objects directly to generated message constructors with affected versions. If untrusted JSON input must be accepted, validate or sanitize object keys before constructing messages, and reject `__proto__` properties.
References
External links from the advisory. They lead to third-party sites.
- https://github.com/protobufjs/protobuf.js/security/advisories/GHSA-fx83-v9x8-x52w
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-44292
- https://github.com/protobufjs/protobuf.js
- https://github.com/protobufjs/protobuf.js/releases/tag/protobufjs-v7.5.6
- https://github.com/protobufjs/protobuf.js/releases/tag/protobufjs-v8.0.2