CVE-2020-36618 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) CWE-74 vulnerability in whois. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2020-36618 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
FurqanSoftware/node-whois vulnerable to Prototype Pollution
Real-World Exposure
How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, a proxy for how much of the ecosystem is exposed.
whoisnpmDescription
A vulnerability classified as critical has been found in Furqan node-whois. Affected is an unknown function of the file index.coffee. The manipulation leads to improperly controlled modification of object prototype attributes ('prototype pollution'). It is possible to launch the attack remotely. The name of the patch is 46ccc2aee8d063c7b6b4dee2c2834113b7286076. It is recommended to apply a patch to fix this issue. The identifier of this vulnerability is VDB-216252.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | whois | all versions | 2.13.6 |
Research 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 whois. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update whois to 2.13.6 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2020-36618 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.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2020-36618 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to CVE-2020-36618. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2020-36618 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2020-36618 across npm dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.