CVE-2021-25947Public exploitNetwork attack vector

Prototype pollution via unchecked __proto__ key traversal

Published Jun 3, 2021 · Updated Aug 3, 2024

Prototype pollution in Luke Edwards nestie 0.0.0 through 1.0.0 allows attackers to modify Object.prototype via crafted flattened keys. The nestie function walks each dot-delimited key and follows the inherited proto property instead of rejecting it, so a later assignment writes an attacker-controlled property onto the shared prototype. Exploitation requires an application to pass attacker-controlled keys into the library; polluted properties can crash the process, while remote code execution depends on a separate application-specific gadget.

CVSS severity9.8
Critical
EPSS probability2.96%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Prototype pollution in Luke Edwards nestie 0.0.0 through 1.0.0 allows attackers to modify Object.prototype via crafted flattened keys. The nestie function walks each dot-delimited key and follows the inherited proto property instead of rejecting it, so a later assignment writes an attacker-controlled property onto the shared prototype. Exploitation requires an application to pass attacker-controlled keys into the library; polluted properties can crash the process, while remote code execution depends on a separate application-specific gadget.

The record

CVE
CVE-2021-25947
Published
Jun 3, 2021
Updated
Aug 3, 2024
Vendor
Luke Edwards
Product
nestie
Classifications
CWE-913, CWE-1321
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jun 3, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 3, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=0.0.0, 1.0.0

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Luke Edwards · nestieversion=0.0.0, 1.0.0

Published CVSS scores

9.8GitHub Advisory DatabaseCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-913Improper Control of Dynamically-Managed Code Resources
CWE-1321Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution')

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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