High severity · published Apr 6, 2026
CVE-2026-35209
defu: Prototype pollution via `__proto__` key in defaults argument
7.5
CVSS
0.4%
EPSS
No
On KEV
Description
defu is software that allows uers to assign default properties recursively. Prior to version 6.1.5, applications that pass unsanitized user input (e.g. parsed JSON request bodies, database records, or config files from untrusted sources) as the first argument to `defu()` are vulnerable to prototype pollution. A crafted payload containing a `__proto__` key can override intended default values in the merged resul. The internal `_defu` function used `Object.assign({}, defaults)` to copy the defaults object. `Object.assign` invokes the `__proto__` setter, which replaces the resulting object's `[[Prototype]]` with attacker-controlled values. Properties inherited from the polluted prototype then bypass the existing `__proto__` key guard in the `for...in` loop and land in the final result. Version 6.1.5 replaces `Object.assign({}, defaults)` with object spread (`{ ...defaults }`), which uses `[[DefineOwnProperty]]` and does not invoke the `__proto__` setter.
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
None
Scope
Unchanged
Exploitation
Is it being used?
Exploit prediction (EPSS)0.4% · higher than 34% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
DE
defu · unjs
< 6.1.5 · source: vendor, NVD
References
NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-35209
CVE.org
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-35209
Patch
https://github.com/unjs/defu/commit/3942bfbbcaa72084bd4284846c83bd61ed7c8b29
Issue Tracking
https://github.com/unjs/defu/pull/156
Release Notes
https://github.com/unjs/defu/releases/tag/v6.1.5
Mitigation
https://github.com/unjs/defu/security/advisories/GHSA-737v-mqg7-c878
