CVE-2022-21189
HIGHCVE-2022-21189 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.3) CWE-1321 vulnerability in dexie. 2 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2022-21189 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Prototype Pollution
Blast Radius
Weekly download volume for affected packages — a proxy for how broadly this vulnerability is deployed.
dexienpmDescription
The package dexie before 3.2.2, from 4.0.0-alpha.1 and before 4.0.0-alpha.3 are vulnerable to Prototype Pollution in the Dexie.setByKeyPath(obj, keyPath, value) function which does not properly check the keys being set (like proto or constructor). This can allow an attacker to add/modify properties of the Object.prototype leading to prototype pollution vulnerability. Note: This vulnerability can occur in multiple ways, for example when modifying a collection with untrusted user input.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | dexie | all versions | 3.2.2 |
| 📦npm | dexie | ≥ 4.0.0-alpha.1&&< 4.0.0-alpha.3 | 4.0.0-alpha.3 |
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 dexie. 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 dexie to 3.2.2 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2022-21189 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-2022-21189 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-2022-21189. 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-2022-21189 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2022-21189 across npm dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.