CVE-2020-28441 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) CWE-1321 vulnerability in conf-cfg-ini. 1 public exploit or proof-of-concept reference is indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for conf-cfg-ini — see the affected versions and patch details below.
conf-cfg-ini Prototype Pollution via malicious INI file before v1.2.2
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.
conf-cfg-ininpmDescription
This affects the package conf-cfg-ini before 1.2.2. If an attacker submits a malicious INI file to an application that parses it with decode, they will pollute the prototype on the application. This can be exploited further depending on the context.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | conf-cfg-ini | all versions | 1.2.2npm install conf-cfg-ini@1.2.2 |
Affected Products
conf-cfg-iniconf-cfg-ini_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 conf-cfg-ini, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update conf-cfg-ini to 1.2.2 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2020-28441 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2020-28441 in your dependencies?
Find it across npm, including transitive dependencies.