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protobuf.js: Process-wide denial of service through unsafe option paths

High severity GitHub Reviewed Published May 12, 2026 in protobufjs/protobuf.js • Updated May 14, 2026

Package

npm protobufjs (npm)

Affected versions

<= 7.5.5
>= 8.0.0, <= 8.0.1

Patched versions

7.5.6
8.0.2

Description

Summary

protobufjs allowed certain schema option paths to traverse through inherited object properties while applying options. A crafted protobuf schema or JSON descriptor could cause option handling to write to properties on global JavaScript constructors, corrupting process-wide built-in functionality.

Impact

An attacker who can provide or influence protobuf schemas or JSON descriptors may be able to corrupt built-in process state in a way that causes subsequent application code or protobufjs code to fail. This can result in a persistent denial of service for the lifetime of the affected process.

This issue affects applications that parse or load protobuf schemas or descriptors from untrusted sources. Applications that use bundled, generated, or otherwise trusted schemas to decode untrusted protobuf message payloads are not directly affected.

The issue is not known to allow code execution by itself.

Preconditions

  • The application must allow an attacker to control or influence a protobuf schema or JSON descriptor.
  • The application must parse or load that schema through protobufjs reflection APIs such as parse, Root.load, Root.loadSync, or Root.fromJSON.
  • The crafted input must contain option paths that reach unsafe inherited properties during option processing.

Workarounds

Do not parse or load protobuf schemas or JSON descriptors from untrusted sources with affected versions. If untrusted schemas must be accepted, validate or reject option names containing unsafe property path components before loading them, and run schema processing in an isolated process.

References

@dcodeIO dcodeIO published to protobufjs/protobuf.js May 12, 2026
Published to the GitHub Advisory Database May 12, 2026
Reviewed May 12, 2026
Published by the National Vulnerability Database May 13, 2026
Last updated May 14, 2026

Severity

High

CVSS overall score

This score calculates overall vulnerability severity from 0 to 10 and is based on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).
/ 10

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector: More severe the more the remote (logically and physically) an attacker can be in order to exploit the vulnerability.
Attack complexity: More severe for the least complex attacks.
Privileges required: More severe if no privileges are required.
User interaction: More severe when no user interaction is required.
Scope: More severe when a scope change occurs, e.g. one vulnerable component impacts resources in components beyond its security scope.
Confidentiality: More severe when loss of data confidentiality is highest, measuring the level of data access available to an unauthorized user.
Integrity: More severe when loss of data integrity is the highest, measuring the consequence of data modification possible by an unauthorized user.
Availability: More severe when the loss of impacted component availability is highest.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

EPSS score

Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS)

This score estimates the probability of this vulnerability being exploited within the next 30 days. Data provided by FIRST.
(29th percentile)

Weaknesses

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

The product receives input from an upstream component that specifies attributes that are to be initialized or updated in an object, but it does not properly control modifications of attributes of the object prototype. Learn more on MITRE.

CVE ID

CVE-2026-44290

GHSA ID

GHSA-jvwf-75h9-cwgg

Credits

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