CVE-2020-28273 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) remote code execution vulnerability in set-in. 1 public exploit or proof-of-concept reference is indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for set-in — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Prototype pollution in set-in
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
Where this sits among everything scored
Real-World Exposure
How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, and reverse-dependency count shows how many other packages break if it stays unpatched.
set-innpmDescription
Prototype pollution vulnerability in 'set-in' versions 1.0.0 through 2.0.0 allows attacker to cause a denial of service and may lead to remote code execution.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | set-in | all versions | 2.0.1npm install set-in@2.0.1 |
Affected Products
set-inset-in_projectResearch use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for set-in, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update set-in to 2.0.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2020-28273 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Cap what an attacker can consume: apply request size, rate and timeout limits in front of the affected component, and run it with memory and CPU limits so exhaustion degrades one worker rather than the whole service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2020-28273 in your dependencies?
Find it across npm, including transitive dependencies.