CVE-2020-4988
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedLoopback 8.0.0 contains a vulnerability that could allow an attacker to manipulate or pollute Javascript values and cause a denial of service or possibly execute code. IBM X-Force ID: 192706.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceLoopBack 8.0.0 contains a prototype pollution vulnerability that allows remote attackers to manipulate JavaScript object prototypes through malicious input, potentially leading to denial of service or remote code execution. The CVSS 9.8 indicates network-exploitable, unauthenticated attacks with complete compromise potential.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 8.0.0CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Check if LoopBack is installed in your projectExamine your project's package.json file for dependencies containing 'loopback' or check node_modules for loopback packages. Run 'npm list loopback' or 'npm list' to list installed packages.Affected if LoopBack packages are found in dependencies
-
Verify the installed LoopBack versionRun 'npm list loopback' or check the version field in package.json under loopback dependencies. Compare against the affected version: exactly 8.0.0.Affected if The installed loopback version is exactly 8.0.0
-
Determine if user input is processed by LoopBackReview your application code for endpoints or functions that accept and process JSON objects from user requests, particularly those using loopback's REST connector or model APIs.Affected if The application processes user-submitted JSON objects through LoopBack APIs
-
Check for prototype pollution attack indicatorsReview application request logs for unusual input patterns such as __proto__, constructor, or prototype properties in JSON request bodies.Affected if Suspicious prototype-manipulation properties appear in incoming requests
You are affected if your environment runs exactly LoopBack version 8.0.0 and processes user input through LoopBack APIs, making prototype pollution exploitation possible.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataUpgrade LoopBack to a patched version (8.x releases after 8.0.0) following the project's security advisories, then thoroughly test application functionality to ensure no breaking changes impact business logic.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,808.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-4988 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-4988 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data