Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
y18n is a JavaScript localization package. Older versions allowed prototype pollution, where attacker-controlled object properties can affect shared object behavior. Impact is context dependent, but CVSS rates it high because it can affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability without authentication or user interaction.
Executive priority
Treat as a high-priority dependency hygiene issue, especially for internet-facing JavaScript services. It is not listed as KEV in the provided data, so urgency should be driven by exposure and dependency reach rather than confirmed active exploitation.
Technical view
CVE-2020-7774 affects y18n before 3.2.2, 4.0.1, and 5.0.5. The vulnerability class is prototype pollution. The provided CVSS 3.1 score is 7.3, with network attack vector, low complexity, no privileges, and no user interaction. Sources do not describe a product-specific exploitation path.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely in applications, build tooling, or packaged dependencies that include vulnerable y18n versions directly or transitively, including npm and WebJars npm packaging. Actual risk depends on whether attacker-controlled data reaches the vulnerable code path.
Exploitation context
The bundle marks CISA KEV as false, so there is no provided evidence of known active exploitation. The CVSS metadata indicates proof-of-concept maturity, but the supplied sources do not justify claims of widespread exploitation.
Researcher notes
The public bundle is sparse: it identifies the package, fixed version thresholds, CVSS, and prototype pollution class, but not exact vulnerable methods or end-to-end impact conditions. Validate exploitability in context without relying on generic prototype pollution assumptions.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade y18n to 3.2.2, 4.0.1, 5.0.5, or later as appropriate.
- Refresh lockfiles and rebuild deployments after dependency updates.
- Check vendor advisories for bundled products from Oracle, Siemens, or other suppliers.
- Prioritize internet-facing services that process untrusted input.
- Avoid accepting unsafe object keys from untrusted input where applicable.
Validation and detection
- Search dependency manifests and lockfiles for y18n versions below fixed releases.
- Check transitive dependencies through package manager audit output or SBOM data.
- Confirm deployed artifacts use rebuilt dependency trees, not stale cached bundles.
- Review affected applications for untrusted input reaching localization or merge logic.
- Track vendor advisories when y18n is embedded in third-party products.
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.
CVE-2020-7774 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 7.3 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L/E:P
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 vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L/E:P3.93.4Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.3HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L/E:P
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-Y18N-1021887CVE reference
- https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JAVA-ORGWEBJARSNPM-1038306CVE reference
- https://github.com/yargs/y18n/pull/108CVE reference
- https://github.com/yargs/y18n/issues/96CVE reference
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuApr2021.htmlCVE reference
- https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-389290.pdfCVE reference
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.