CVE-2022-21144 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) Improper Input Validation vulnerability in libxmljs. 1 public exploit or proof-of-concept reference is indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for libxmljs — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Denial of Service (DoS)
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.
libxmljsnpmDescription
libxmljs provides libxml bindings for v8 javascript engine. This affects all versions of package libxmljs. When invoking the libxmljs.parseXml function with a non-buffer argument the V8 code will attempt invoking the .toString method of the argument. If the argument's toString value is not a Function object V8 will crash.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | libxmljs | all versions | 0.19.8npm install libxmljs@0.19.8 |
Affected Products
libxmljslibxmljs_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 libxmljs, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update libxmljs to 0.19.8 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2022-21144 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-2022-21144 in your dependencies?
Find it across npm, including transitive dependencies.