Vulnerability Database

363,159

Total vulnerabilities in the database

Mongoose: Prototype pollution in mongoose update casting via __proto__-prefixed dotted path (Schema._getSchema/path getter) — mongoose

Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution')

Impact

What kind of vulnerability is it? Who is impacted?

Prototype pollution in update casting: passing a user-controlled update to a Mongoose update, like MyModel.updateOne(filter, req.body), can cause Mongoose to set $fullPath and $parentSchemaDocArray on Object.prototype.

Example:

const mongoose = require('mongoose'); console.log('before:', Object.prototype.$fullPath); // undefined const User = mongoose.model('User', new mongoose.Schema({ name: String })); const malicious = JSON.parse('{"$set": {"__proto__.x": "anything"}}'); // attacker-controlled update const q = User.updateOne({}, {}); try { q._castUpdate(malicious); } catch (e) { /* throws AFTER the pollution side-effect */ } console.log('after :', Object.prototype.$fullPath); // "__proto__" console.log('enumerable:', Object.prototype.propertyIsEnumerable('$fullPath')); // true console.log('fresh {}:', ({}).$fullPath); // "__proto__"

Patches

Has the problem been patched? What versions should users upgrade to?

9.7.2, 8.24.1. 7.8.10, 6.13.10

Workarounds

Is there a way for users to fix or remediate the vulnerability without upgrading?

Check user-controlled updates for own __proto__ properties before passing to Mongoose

References

Are there any links users can visit to find out more?

  • Published: Jul 24, 2026
  • Updated: Jul 25, 2026
  • GHSA: GHSA-664h-wqgq-64gw
  • Severity: Medium
  • Exploit:
  • CISA KEV:

CVSS v3:

  • Severity: Medium
  • Score: 6.5
  • AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L

Frequently Asked Questions

A security vulnerability is a weakness in software, hardware, or configuration that can be exploited to compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability. Many vulnerabilities are tracked as CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures), which provide a standardized identifier so teams can coordinate patching, mitigation, and risk assessment across tools and vendors.

CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) estimates technical severity, but it doesn't automatically equal business risk. Prioritize using context like internet exposure, affected asset criticality, known exploitation (proof-of-concept or in-the-wild), and whether compensating controls exist. A "Medium" CVSS on an exposed, production system can be more urgent than a "Critical" on an isolated, non-production host.

A vulnerability is the underlying weakness. An exploit is the method or code used to take advantage of it. A zero-day is a vulnerability that is unknown to the vendor or has no publicly available fix when attackers begin using it. In practice, risk increases sharply when exploitation becomes reliable or widespread.

Recurring findings usually come from incomplete Asset Discovery, inconsistent patch management, inherited images, and configuration drift. In modern environments, you also need to watch the software supply chain: dependencies, containers, build pipelines, and third-party services can reintroduce the same weakness even after you patch a single host. Unknown or unmanaged assets (often called Shadow IT) are a common reason the same issues resurface.

Use a simple, repeatable triage model: focus first on externally exposed assets, high-value systems (identity, VPN, email, production), vulnerabilities with known exploits, and issues that enable remote code execution or privilege escalation. Then enforce patch SLAs and track progress using consistent metrics so remediation is steady, not reactive.

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