How severe is GHSA-53mj-mc38-q894?

No CVSS score has been assigned to GHSA-53mj-mc38-q894 yet. Review the advisory details and affected package list to assess your exposure.

Which packages are affected by GHSA-53mj-mc38-q894?

GHSA-53mj-mc38-q894 affects the following packages: openwhisk (npm). Ecosystems affected: npm.

How do I fix GHSA-53mj-mc38-q894?

Update openwhisk to 3.3.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-53mj-mc38-q894 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect GHSA-53mj-mc38-q894 in my npm dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for openwhisk. 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.

How do I mitigate GHSA-53mj-mc38-q894 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

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 does O3 Security protect against GHSA-53mj-mc38-q894?

O3 pinpoints whether GHSA-53mj-mc38-q894 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.

Is GHSA-53mj-mc38-q894 actively exploited in the wild?

No public exploit code has been indexed for GHSA-53mj-mc38-q894 yet. This does not mean the vulnerability cannot be exploited — absence of public exploits does not imply safety. Apply the recommended fix and use O3 Security to monitor your exposure.

When was GHSA-53mj-mc38-q894 published, and has it been updated?

GHSA-53mj-mc38-q894 was published on September 1, 2020 and was last updated on September 24, 2021. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

📦 npm

Not in CISA KEV

GHSA-53mj-mc38-q894

Fix: openwhisk/openwhisk-client-js#34

GHSA-53mj-mc38-q894 is a security vulnerability in openwhisk. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-53mj-mc38-q894 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.

Remote Memory Exposure in openwhisk

Published

Sep 1, 2020

Updated

Sep 24, 2021

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

1 / 1

Exploits

None indexed

Exploitation data as of Sep 24, 2021 · OSV.dev, FIRST.org (EPSS)

Real-World Exposure

1 pkg affected

📦openwhisk

Real-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects npm packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.

Description

Versions of openwhisk before 3.3.1 are vulnerable to remote memory exposure.

When a number is passed to api_key, affected versions of openwhisk allocate an uninitialized buffer and send that over network in Authorization header (base64-encoded).

Proof of concept:

var openwhisk = require('openwhisk');
var options = {
  apihost: '127.0.0.1:1433', 
  api_key: USERSUPPLIEDINPUT // number
};
var ow = openwhisk(options);
ow.actions.invoke({actionName: 'sample'}).then(result => console.log(result))

Recommendation

Update to version 3.3.1 or later.

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
📦npm	`openwhisk`	all versions	3.3.1

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for openwhisk. 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 openwhisk to 3.3.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-53mj-mc38-q894 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 GHSA-53mj-mc38-q894 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 GHSA-53mj-mc38-q894. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Versions of `openwhisk` before 3.3.1 are vulnerable to remote memory exposure. When a number is passed to `api_key`, affected versions of `openwhisk` allocate an uninitialized buffer and send that over network in Authorization header (base64-encoded). Proof of concept: ```js var openwhisk = require('openwhisk'); var options = { apihost: '127.0.0.1:1433', api_key: USERSUPPLIEDINPUT // number }; var ow = openwhisk(options); ow.actions.invoke({actionName: 'sample'}).then(result => console.log(result)) ``` ## Recommendation Update to version 3.3.1 or later.

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is GHSA-53mj-mc38-q894 in your dependencies?

O3 detects GHSA-53mj-mc38-q894 across npm dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.

Scan my dependencies How O3 SCA works