CVE-2022-21803 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.3) CWE-1321 vulnerability in nconf. 2 public exploit or proof-of-concept references are indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for nconf — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Prototype Pollution
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.
nconfnpmDescription
This affects the package nconf before 0.11.4. When using the memory engine, it is possible to store a nested JSON representation of the configuration. The .set() function, that is responsible for setting the configuration properties, is vulnerable to Prototype Pollution. By providing a crafted property, it is possible to modify the properties on the Object.prototype.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | nconf | all versions | 0.11.4npm install nconf@0.11.4 |
Affected Products
nconfnconf_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 nconf, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update nconf to 0.11.4 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2022-21803 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-2022-21803 in your dependencies?
Find it across npm, including transitive dependencies.