GHSA-jp4x-w63m-7wgm
HIGHGHSA-jp4x-w63m-7wgm is a high-severity (CVSS 8.8) CWE-471 vulnerability in hoek. 2 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-jp4x-w63m-7wgm is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Prototype Pollution in hoek
Blast Radius
Weekly download volume for affected packages — a proxy for how broadly this vulnerability is deployed.
hoeknpmDescription
Versions of hoek prior to 4.2.1 and 5.0.3 are vulnerable to prototype pollution.
The merge function, and the applyToDefaults and applyToDefaultsWithShallow functions which leverage merge behind the scenes, are vulnerable to a prototype pollution attack when provided an unvalidated payload created from a JSON string containing the __proto__ property.
This can be demonstrated like so:
var Hoek = require('hoek');
var malicious_payload = '{"__proto__":{"oops":"It works !"}}';
var a = {};
console.log("Before : " + a.oops);
Hoek.merge({}, JSON.parse(malicious_payload));
console.log("After : " + a.oops);
This type of attack can be used to overwrite existing properties causing a potential denial of service.
Recommendation
Update to version 4.2.1, 5.0.3 or later.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | hoek | ≥ 5.0.0&&< 5.0.3 | 5.0.3 |
| 📦npm | hoek | all versions | 4.2.1 |
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 hoek. 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 hoek to 5.0.3 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-jp4x-w63m-7wgm 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-jp4x-w63m-7wgm 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-jp4x-w63m-7wgm. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-jp4x-w63m-7wgm in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-jp4x-w63m-7wgm across npm dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.