Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2018-16492 affects the JavaScript module extend. Vulnerable versions allow attackers to add properties to Object.prototype through prototype pollution. Business impact depends on how an application uses the module and handles untrusted input. Public sources do not provide a CVSS score or evidence of active exploitation.
Executive priority
Treat as a dependency hygiene issue with moderate urgency. Prioritize applications exposed to user-supplied input or external APIs. There is no cited active exploitation, but prototype pollution can become serious in affected application contexts.
Technical view
The issue is prototype pollution in extend versions <2.0.2 and ~<3.0.2, permitting arbitrary properties on Object.prototype. This can cause application-specific behavior changes, denial of service, or security control bypasses depending on downstream code. The CVE lists CWE-400, but detailed impact and exploitability are not fully described in the provided sources.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely in Node.js or JavaScript applications that directly or transitively depend on affected extend versions and process attacker-controlled objects. Internet exposure depends on whether untrusted input reaches code paths using the library.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not indicate CISA KEV listing or confirmed active exploitation. Exploitation is context-dependent and generally requires attacker-controlled input to be merged or processed by vulnerable extend behavior.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE record and linked HackerOne report. No CVSS vector, exploit status, or detailed vendor advisory is included in the provided bundle. Validate impact per application because prototype pollution outcomes depend heavily on consuming code.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory applications and dependency trees for the extend module.
- Upgrade extend outside the affected version ranges where vendor guidance supports it.
- Regenerate lockfiles and redeploy applications using vulnerable transitive dependencies.
- If immediate upgrade is not possible, restrict untrusted object input to affected code paths.
- Monitor the HackerOne report and CVE record for updated remediation guidance.
Validation and detection
- Check package manifests and lockfiles for extend versions <2.0.2 or affected 3.x ranges.
- Use software composition analysis to identify direct and transitive extend dependencies.
- Confirm deployed artifacts match remediated dependency versions.
- Review input-handling paths that merge user-controlled objects.
- Document compensating controls if vulnerable versions remain temporarily deployed.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-400: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2018-16492 mapping review
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Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://hackerone.com/reports/381185CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
Uncontrolled Resource Consumption represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.