How severe is GHSA-h47j-hc6x-h3qq?

GHSA-h47j-hc6x-h3qq has a CVSS score of 9.9/10, rated CRITICAL. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by GHSA-h47j-hc6x-h3qq?

GHSA-h47j-hc6x-h3qq affects the following packages: mongo-express (npm). Ecosystems affected: npm.

How do I fix GHSA-h47j-hc6x-h3qq?

Update mongo-express to version 0.54.0 or later. Run your dependency manager's update command and verify no transitive dependencies pin the vulnerable version. Use O3 Security's SCA scanner to confirm the fix is applied across your entire dependency tree.

Is GHSA-h47j-hc6x-h3qq actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 7 known exploit references for GHSA-h47j-hc6x-h3qq, including 5 in-the-wild exploitations observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for GHSA-h47j-hc6x-h3qq?

GHSA-h47j-hc6x-h3qq has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 94.4%, placing it in the 100th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A score above 50% indicates significantly elevated exploitation risk — immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Is GHSA-h47j-hc6x-h3qq in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog?

Yes. GHSA-h47j-hc6x-h3qq (MongoDB mongo-express Remote Code Execution Vulnerability) was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 2021-12-10. CISA required all US federal civilian agencies to remediate this vulnerability by 2022-06-10. The required action was: Apply updates per vendor instructions. Being listed in the KEV catalog is the strongest possible confirmation of active exploitation — treat this as a critical priority.

What type of vulnerability is GHSA-h47j-hc6x-h3qq?

GHSA-h47j-hc6x-h3qq is classified as Code Injection (CWE-94). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation. This is a high-impact weakness class that often enables remote code execution or data exposure.

Is there exploit tooling available for GHSA-h47j-hc6x-h3qq?

A Nuclei detection template exists for GHSA-h47j-hc6x-h3qq, meaning automated scanners can fingerprint it. Public exploit tooling significantly increases real-world risk — prioritize patching and ensure detection coverage. Exploit tooling should only ever be used in isolated, authorized testing environments.

When was GHSA-h47j-hc6x-h3qq published, and has it been updated?

GHSA-h47j-hc6x-h3qq was published on December 30, 2019 and was last updated on March 13, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

CISA KEV·Added 2021-12-10 — agencies required to remediate by 2022-06-10

📦 npm

GHSA-h47j-hc6x-h3qq

CRITICAL

Remote Code Execution Vulnerability in NPM mongo-express

Also known asCVE-2019-10758

Published

Dec 30, 2019

Updated

Mar 13, 2026

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

1 / 1

Exploits

7 known

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

94.4%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Very High Risk100th percentile0.00%

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.

Blast Radius

1 pkg affected

📦mongo-express

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

Impact

Remote code execution on the host machine by any authenticated user.

Proof Of Concept

Launching mongo-express on a Mac, pasting the following into the "create index" field will pop open the Mac calculator:

this.constructor.constructor("return process")().mainModule.require('child_process').execSync('/Applications/Calculator.app/Contents/MacOS/Calculator')

Patches

Users should upgrade to version 0.54.0

Workarounds

Is there a way for users to fix or remediate the vulnerability without upgrading?

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:

Open an issue in example link to repo
Email us at example email address

Thanks

@JLLeitschuh for finding and reporting this vulnerability

This vulnerability has been exploited in the wild.

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
📦npm	`mongo-express`	all versions	0.54.0

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.