CVE-2022-2564
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2022-2564 is a prototype pollution vulnerability in Mongoose, a MongoDB object modeling tool for Node.js. It allows attackers to inject arbitrary properties into object prototypes, potentially leading to denial of service, remote code execution, or privilege escalation. Any application using vulnerable versions of Mongoose is affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Mongoose
📦 What is this software?
Mongoose by Mongoosejs
Mongoose by Mongoosejs
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote code execution leading to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, or lateral movement within the network.
Likely Case
Denial of service through application crashes or memory corruption, or privilege escalation within the application context.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if input validation and sanitization are properly implemented, though prototype pollution can bypass some controls.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires sending specially crafted input to endpoints that use Mongoose schemas with user-controlled data.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 6.4.6 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/Automattic/mongoose/security/advisories/GHSA-5r27-8q9v-5h39
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Mongoose to version 6.4.6 or later using npm: npm update mongoose
2. Restart your Node.js application
3. Test application functionality after update
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Input validation and sanitization
allImplement strict input validation to reject any input containing prototype pollution patterns like __proto__ or constructor.prototype
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict input validation to reject any objects containing __proto__ or constructor properties
- Use object-freeze or similar techniques to prevent prototype modification in critical objects
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check package.json or run: npm list mongoose | grep mongooseCheck Version:
npm list mongoose | grep mongooseVerify Fix Applied:
Verify installed version is 6.4.6 or higher: npm list mongoose📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual error messages related to schema validation
- Application crashes or unexpected behavior in Mongoose operations
- High frequency of requests to schema-related endpoints
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing __proto__ or constructor in payloads
- Unusual patterns in API calls to Mongoose endpoints
SIEM Query:
source="application_logs" AND ("__proto__" OR "constructor.prototype" OR "mongoose error")🔗 References
- https://github.com/Automattic/mongoose/blob/51e758541763b6f14569744ced15cc23ab8b50c6/lib/schema.js#L88-L141
- https://github.com/Automattic/mongoose/compare/6.4.5...6.4.6
- https://github.com/automattic/mongoose/commit/a45cfb6b0ce0067ae9794cfa80f7917e1fb3c6f8
- https://huntr.dev/bounties/055be524-9296-4b2f-b68d-6d5b810d1ddd
- https://github.com/Automattic/mongoose/blob/51e758541763b6f14569744ced15cc23ab8b50c6/lib/schema.js#L88-L141
- https://github.com/Automattic/mongoose/compare/6.4.5...6.4.6
- https://github.com/automattic/mongoose/commit/a45cfb6b0ce0067ae9794cfa80f7917e1fb3c6f8
- https://huntr.dev/bounties/055be524-9296-4b2f-b68d-6d5b810d1ddd
