JSON5 is an extension to the popular JSON file format that aims to be easier to write and maintain by hand (e.g. for config files). The `parse` method of the JSON5 library before and including versions 1.0.1 and 2.2.1 does not restrict parsing of keys named `__proto__`, allowing specially crafted strings to pollute the prototype of the resulting object. This vulnerability pollutes the prototype of the object returned by `JSON5.parse` and not the global Object prototype, which is the commonly understood definition of Prototype Pollution. However, polluting the prototype of a single object can have significant security impact for an application if the object is later used in trusted operations. This vulnerability could allow an attacker to set arbitrary and unexpected keys on the object returned from `JSON5.parse`. The actual impact will depend on how applications utilize the returned object and how they filter unwanted keys, but could include denial of service, cross-site scripting, elevation of privilege, and in extreme cases, remote code execution. `JSON5.parse` should restrict parsing of `__proto__` keys when parsing JSON strings to objects. As a point of reference, the `JSON.parse` method included in JavaScript ignores `__proto__` keys. Simply changing `JSON5.parse` to `JSON.parse` in the examples above mitigates this vulnerability. This vulnerability is patched in json5 versions 1.0.2, 2.2.2, and later.
CVSS Details
- CVSS 3.1 Base Score: 7.1
- CVSS 3.1 Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H)
Covered by Rapid7
| Product | Vendor Advisory | Solution File | Added | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlassian Bitbucket | — | Upgrade Atlassian Bitbucket to the latest version | Nov 19, 2025 | Nov 18, 2025 |
| Debian | — | Upgrade node-json5 | Dec 4, 2023 | Dec 24, 2022 |
| Maps Block Apple Plugin | — | Update maps-block-apple plugin to version 1.1.0, or a newer patched version | May 15, 2025 | Dec 23, 2022 |
| Redhat_linux | — | No solution exists | Jul 9, 2025 | Dec 24, 2022 |
| Simple Podcasting Plugin | — | Update simple-podcasting plugin to version 1.4.0, or a newer patched version | May 15, 2025 | Dec 23, 2022 |
| Splunk | — | Upgrade Splunk Enterprise to version 9.0.6Upgrade Splunk Enterprise to version 8.1.14Upgrade Splunk Enterprise to version 8.2.12Upgrade Splunk Enterprise to version 9.4.4Upgrade Splunk Enterprise to version 10.0.1Upgrade Splunk Enterprise to version 9.1.1Upgrade Splunk Enterprise to version 9.2.8Upgrade Splunk Enterprise to version 8.2.11Upgrade Splunk Enterprise to version 9.0.5Upgrade Splunk Enterprise to version 9.3.6 | Sep 30, 2025 | Dec 24, 2022 |
| Ubuntu | — | Upgrade node-json5Upgrade node-json5 (Ubuntu Pro) | May 2, 2024 | Dec 24, 2022 |
| Vmware Photon_os | — | Use 'tdnf update' to upgrade all packages to the latest version. | Jul 2, 2025 | Dec 24, 2022 |
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