CVE-2023-3696
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2023-3696 is a prototype pollution vulnerability in Mongoose ODM library versions prior to 7.3.4. This allows attackers to inject arbitrary properties into Object.prototype, potentially leading to denial of service, remote code execution, or privilege escalation. Any application using vulnerable Mongoose versions is affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Mongoose ODM
📦 What is this software?
Mongoose by Mongoosejs
Mongoose by Mongoosejs
Mongoose by Mongoosejs
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote code execution leading to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, and lateral movement within the network.
Likely Case
Denial of service through application crashes or unexpected behavior, potentially leading to data corruption or privilege escalation.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if input validation and sanitization are properly implemented, though prototype pollution can bypass some controls.
🎯 Exploit Status
Proof-of-concept available in public repositories; exploitation requires sending specially crafted input to vulnerable endpoints.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 7.3.4 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/automattic/mongoose/commit/305ce4ff789261df7e3f6e72363d0703e025f80d
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Mongoose dependency to version 7.3.4 or later. 2. Run 'npm update mongoose' or update package.json. 3. Restart the application. 4. Test functionality to ensure compatibility.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Input Validation and Sanitization
allImplement strict input validation to reject unexpected properties and sanitize user inputs before processing.
Object.freeze on Prototype
allUse Object.freeze(Object.prototype) to prevent prototype pollution, though this may break some functionality.
Object.freeze(Object.prototype);
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict input validation and sanitization for all user-controlled data.
- Use web application firewalls (WAF) with rules to detect and block prototype pollution attempts.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check package.json or run 'npm list mongoose' to see if version is below 7.3.4.Check Version:
npm list mongoose | grep mongooseVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm Mongoose version is 7.3.4 or higher using 'npm list mongoose' and test application functionality.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual property assignments in logs, unexpected application crashes, or error messages related to prototype modifications.
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests with unusual JSON payloads containing __proto__ or constructor properties.
SIEM Query:
source="application_logs" AND ("__proto__" OR "constructor" OR "prototype pollution")🔗 References
- https://github.com/automattic/mongoose/commit/305ce4ff789261df7e3f6e72363d0703e025f80d
- https://huntr.dev/bounties/1eef5a72-f6ab-4f61-b31d-fc66f5b4b467
- https://github.com/automattic/mongoose/commit/305ce4ff789261df7e3f6e72363d0703e025f80d
- https://huntr.dev/bounties/1eef5a72-f6ab-4f61-b31d-fc66f5b4b467
