File TypeApplication · Sindresorhus

CVE-2022-36313

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-07-21
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 16.5.4 / 17.1.3 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
No privileges

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 · unedited
An issue was discovered in the file-type package before 16.5.4 and 17.x before 17.1.3 for Node.js. A malformed MKV file could cause the file type detector to get caught in an infinite loop. This would make the application become unresponsive and could be used to cause a DoS attack.

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 · high confidence

The file-type npm package for Node.js has a denial-of-service vulnerability where a malformed MKV (Matroska video) file causes the file type detector to enter an infinite loop, making the application unresponsive. This is triggered during file type detection when processing specifically crafted MKV input.

MitigationUpdate the file-type package to version 16.5.4 or later (16.x) or 17.1.3 or later (17.x). If immediate patching is not possible, implement timeout mechanisms around file-type detection operations and restrict file-type detection to trusted, validated input sources.

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
File TypeApplication
Affected:< 16.5.4>= 17.0.0, < 17.1.3

CVSS 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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the installed file-type package version
    Run 'npm list file-type' or check the package.json dependencies to see the exact version of the file-type package installed in your project
    Affected if The version is less than 16.5.4, or is 17.0.0 through 17.1.2 (inclusive)
  2. Determine if your application processes MKV files
    Search your codebase for .mkv file handling, look for file-type being called on files with .mkv extension, or inspect network/file upload handlers that may pass MKV files to file-type for detection
    Affected if Your application uses file-type to detect or validate Matroska (.mkv) video files
  3. Check for runtime version in node_modules
    Inspect the file-type package version directly: look at node_modules/file-type/package.json or run 'npm view file-type version' to confirm what version is installed
    Affected if The resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed above

You are affected if you have file-type version below 16.5.4 or between 17.0.0 and 17.1.2 AND your application uses file-type to process MKV files, as this combination triggers the infinite loop vulnerability.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 16.5.4 / 17.1.3 or later
Fixed in 16.5.417.1.3
Interim mitigation

Update the file-type package to version 16.5.4 or later (16.x) or 17.1.3 or later (17.x). If immediate patching is not possible, implement timeout mechanisms around file-type detection operations and restrict file-type detection to trusted, validated input sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

[email protected] or [email protected]

  1. Identify the file-type package in your project (check package.json dependencies)
  2. Run 'npm list file-type' to see the current installed version
  3. Run 'npm install [email protected]' or 'npm install [email protected]' to upgrade to a fixed version
  4. Run 'npm audit' to verify the fix was applied
  5. Rebuild and redeploy your application

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in File Type Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,160
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,856.

Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-36313 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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