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High, CVSS 7.5amended

flat-to-nested: Prototype pollution in flat-to-nested convert() via __proto__ parent/id key

CVE-2026-55091GHSA-hp36-v28f-w3r4

What to do

Vendor fix available. Upgrade each affected package to the fixed version on its release line (flat-to-nested 1.1.2), redeploy, then verify what is actually installed.

This page has no inventory attached, so it cannot say whether you are affected. A vendor fix is not proof that your deployment is fixed.

Affected packages

Sources

Severity and exploitation
Exploitation
No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.
CVSS
7.5 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
EPSS
  • CVE-2026-55091: 0.50% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 42.69 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.
Source description

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Summary convert() builds the nested tree by using each flat record's id and parent field values directly as object keys, with no guard against proto / constructor / prototype. A record whose parent is the string "proto" makes temp[parent] resolve to Object.prototype, and the following initPush(...) writes attacker-controlled data onto the global prototype. Any application that passes attacker-influenced records to convert() is affected, and the base prototype methods stay intact so the pollution is stealthy.

Details In index.js, convert() (FlatToNested.prototype.convert): - temp = {} (line 45) and pendingChildOf = {} (line 46) are plain objects, so they inherit from Object.prototype. - For each record, parent = flatEl[this.config.parent] (line 51) is taken verbatim from input. - Line 57: if (temp[parent] !== undefined) — when parent === "proto", temp["proto"] resolves via the prototype chain to Object.prototype, which is !== undefined, so the branch is taken. - Line 59:…

Dates and revisions
Published by the source
Last modified by the source
Source last checked
  1. Revision 2 · amended ·

    Amended from ghsa record GHSA-hp36-v28f-w3r4

  2. Revision 1 · created ·

    Published from osv record GHSA-hp36-v28f-w3r4

Agent brief

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2026-55091

Advisory: flat-to-nested: Prototype pollution in flat-to-nested convert() via __proto__ parent/id key
IDs: CVE-2026-55091, GHSA-hp36-v28f-w3r4
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2026-55091 (revision 2, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 12:56 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: High (CVSS 7.5)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: flat-to-nested 1.1.2. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- npm flat-to-nested: affected <= 1.1.1; fixed in 1.1.2

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- `npm ls flat-to-nested --all`: lists every installed copy and version, including transitive ones. Run in the project root after `npm ci`.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on flat-to-nested.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-hp36-v28f-w3r4 (OSV record GHSA-hp36-v28f-w3r4 lists affected ranges: npm flat-to-nested >=0 <1.1.2 (fixed))
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-hp36-v28f-w3r4 (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-hp36-v28f-w3r4 lists affected ranges: npm flat-to-nested >=0 <=1.1.1)

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