Process-wide object pollution via unsafe note merge
Published Aug 24, 2026 · Updated Aug 24, 2026
Prototype pollution in ExcelJS 4.4.0 and earlier allows remote attackers to alter Object.prototype through user-controlled cell notes. Note.prototype.get model passes non-string note objects to _.deepMerge, which recursively assigns proto, constructor, and prototype keys without filtering them. Reachability requires an embedding application to place parsed attacker-controlled JSON in cell.note and serialize the workbook; successful pollution changes inherited properties for later plain objects in the same process.
Summary
What happened
Prototype pollution in ExcelJS 4.4.0 and earlier allows remote attackers to alter Object.prototype through user-controlled cell notes. Note.prototype.get model passes non-string note objects to _.deepMerge, which recursively assigns proto, constructor, and prototype keys without filtering them. Reachability requires an embedding application to place parsed attacker-controlled JSON in cell.note and serialize the workbook; successful pollution changes inherited properties for later plain objects in the same process.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-78207
- Published
- Aug 24, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 24, 2026
- Vendor
- ExcelJS
- Product
- ExcelJS
- Classifications
- CWE-1321, T1190
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 24, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 24, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
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- Affected versionversion=0 <=4.4.0
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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