CVE-2023-22499 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) CWE-362 vulnerability in deno. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for deno — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Interactive permission prompt spoofing in Deno
Exploitation Status
Proof-of-concept exploit code exists
- CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2023-22499.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2023-22499 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 378,156 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
denoReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects crates.io packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Impact
Multi-threaded programs were able to spoof interactive permission prompt by rewriting the prompt to suggest that program is waiting on user confirmation to unrelated action.
A malicious program could clear the terminal screen after permission prompt was shown and write a generic message like so:
// Expected prompt
⚠️ ┌ Deno requests read access to "./log.txt".
├ Requested by `Deno.open()` API
├ Run again with --allow-read to bypass this prompt.
└ Allow? [y/n] (y = yes, allow; n = no, deny) >
// Prompt that users would see
Do you want to continue?
This situation impacts users who use Web Worker API and relied on interactive permission prompt. The reproduction is very timing sensitive and can’t be reliably reproduced on every try.
This problem can not be exploited on systems that do not attach an interactive prompt (for example headless servers).
Patches
The problem has been fixed in Deno v1.29.3; it is recommended all users update to this version.
Workarounds
Run with --no-prompt flag to disable interactive permission prompts.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🦀crates.io | deno | ≥ 1.9.0&&< 1.29.3 | 1.29.3cargo update -p deno --precise 1.29.3 |
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 deno, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update deno to 1.29.3 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-22499 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 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2023-22499 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2023-22499. 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-2023-22499 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2023-22499 across crates.io dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.