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CVE-2021-21368

26
FAUCET Score

CVE-2021-21368 is a prototype poisoning vulnerability affecting msgpack5, a MessagePack implementation for Node.js and browsers, in versions prior to 3.6.1, 4.5.1, and 5.2.1. An attacker can craft MessagePack data containing a "__proto__" key, causing the decoded object's prototype to be set to an arbitrary msgpack5 value. This can lead to unexpected type behavior, property access issues, and potential exceptions. The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 score of 8.8 (High), indicating a high severity. It can be exploited remotely with low attack complexity and no user interaction, potentially leading to high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. While it's a limited form of prototype poisoning, it could be leveraged in conjunction with other bugs. There is no evidence of active exploitation, and no public exploit code (Metasploit, Nuclei, ExploitDB) is available. Community discussion and media coverage are minimal, suggesting low public attention.

Impacted Technologies

VendorProductVersion(s)CPE
< 3.6.1CPE matchmatch criteria
cpe:2.3:a:msgpack5_project:msgpack5:*:*:*:*:*:node.js:*:*
>= 4.0.0, < 4.5.1CPE matchmatch criteria
cpe:2.3:a:msgpack5_project:msgpack5:*:*:*:*:*:node.js:*:*
>= 5.0.0, < 5.2.1CPE matchmatch criteria
cpe:2.3:a:msgpack5_project:msgpack5:*:*:*:*:*:node.js:*:*

CVSS Data

CVSS version used by this source: 3.1

6.7MEDIUM

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:H

Attack Vector
NETWORK
Attack Complexity
HIGH
Privileges Required
LOW
User Interaction
REQUIRED
Scope
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality Impact
LOW
Integrity Impact
HIGH
Availability Impact
HIGH
Exploitability Score
1.2
Impact Score
5.5
CvssVersion
3.1

Exploit Intelligence

EPSS Score
1.65%
Probability of exploitation in next 30 days
EPSS Percentile
74.1%
Percentile rank of EPSS score among Peer Group
As of 2026-07-27
Model: v2026.06.15
This CVE's current EPSS score of 0.0165 is in the 72nd percentile among its peer group of 17,844 CVEs.

Social Chatter

The average CVE in this peer group has 0.0 Twitter, 0.0 Reddit, 0.3 Bluesky, 0.1 Mastodon, and 0.2 GitHub mentions.

Media Mentions

No media coverage found for this CVE.

The average CVE in this peer group has 0.1 InfoSec Media, 0.0 Vendor Blog, and 0.0 Security Researcher mentions.

Remediation

Patch Available

Vendor Patches (4)

github_advisorypatch availablevia nvd_reference
View patch
npmpatch availablevia ghsa
Product: msgpack5Fixed in: 3.6.1
npmpatch availablevia ghsa
Product: msgpack5Fixed in: 4.5.1
npmpatch availablevia ghsa
Product: msgpack5Fixed in: 5.2.1

Vendor Advisories (1)

npmGHSA-gmjw-49p4-pcfmmedium

Prototype poisoning

Mar 12, 2021

References

github.com / mcollina/msgpack5/commit/d4e6cb956ae51c8bb2828e71c7c1107c340cf1e8
PatchThird Party Advisory
github.com / mcollina/msgpack5/releases/tag/v3.6.1
Release NotesThird Party Advisory
github.com / mcollina/msgpack5/releases/tag/v4.5.1
Release NotesThird Party Advisory
github.com / mcollina/msgpack5/releases/tag/v5.2.1
Release NotesThird Party Advisory
github.com / mcollina/msgpack5/security/advisories/GHSA-gmjw-49p4-pcfm
ExploitThird Party Advisory
npmjs.com / package/msgpack5
ProductThird Party Advisory