CVE-2025-57328 Overview
CVE-2025-57328 is a prototype pollution vulnerability affecting the toggle-array npm package version 1.0.1 and earlier. The package is designed to enable a property on the object at a specified index while disabling that property on all other objects in an array. The vulnerability exists in the enable and disable functions, which fail to sanitize property keys before assignment. Attackers can inject properties onto Object.prototype by supplying a crafted payload. At minimum, this causes denial of service across the Node.js process, and depending on downstream property access patterns, may lead to logic corruption in the consuming application.
Critical Impact
Remote attackers can pollute Object.prototype without authentication, causing application-wide denial of service in Node.js services that consume untrusted input through the affected functions.
Affected Products
- jonschlinkert/toggle-array versions 1.0.1 and earlier
- Node.js applications consuming toggle-array with untrusted input
- Downstream packages with transitive dependencies on toggle-array
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-09-24 - CVE-2025-57328 published to NVD
- 2025-10-20 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-57328
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability falls under CWE-1321, Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes (Prototype Pollution). The toggle-array package iterates over array elements and assigns a property using a caller-supplied key. The implementation does not validate the property key against reserved names such as __proto__, constructor, or prototype. When an attacker controls the property name passed to enable or disable, the assignment traverses the prototype chain and mutates Object.prototype.
Once Object.prototype is polluted, every newly created plain object in the Node.js process inherits the injected property. Downstream code that performs untyped property checks, conditional branches, or configuration lookups can behave unexpectedly. The most reliable outcome is denial of service through process crashes or hung event loops.
Root Cause
The root cause is unsafe property assignment using bracket notation on objects without filtering reserved keys. The enable and disable functions trust caller input as the property name, allowing the prototype chain to be reached via __proto__ or constructor.prototype traversal.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires the attacker to reach an application code path that forwards untrusted input as the property argument to toggle-array's enable or disable function. This is common in web services that accept JSON bodies and pass user-controlled fields into utility libraries. No authentication or user interaction is required when the affected functions are exposed through an HTTP endpoint.
A proof-of-concept demonstrating the prototype pollution payload is published in the VulnSageAgent PoC repository for CVE-2025-57328. The PoC submits a crafted property name that causes assignment to Object.prototype, after which a newly instantiated object inherits the polluted attribute.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-57328
Indicators of Compromise
- HTTP request bodies containing __proto__, constructor, or prototype as JSON keys reaching Node.js services
- Unexpected properties appearing on plain objects after request processing in application logs
- Node.js process crashes or unhandled exceptions following requests that include reserved key names
Detection Strategies
- Audit package-lock.json and yarn.lock for direct or transitive dependencies on toggle-array at version 1.0.1 or earlier
- Inspect application code for calls to toggle-array's enable or disable functions that accept request-derived property names
- Enable runtime monitoring for modifications to Object.prototype using Object.freeze(Object.prototype) in development to surface offending code paths
Monitoring Recommendations
- Forward Node.js stderr and uncaught exception logs to a centralized SIEM for correlation with inbound request payloads
- Alert on HTTP request payloads containing reserved JavaScript property names targeting endpoints that process arrays
- Track dependency drift using software composition analysis to flag reintroduction of vulnerable toggle-array versions
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-57328
Immediate Actions Required
- Inventory all projects depending on toggle-array and identify versions in use across production and build environments
- Remove toggle-array from dependency trees where possible, or pin to a patched release once published by the maintainer
- Add input validation at API boundaries to reject JSON keys matching __proto__, constructor, or prototype
Patch Information
No official vendor patch is referenced in the NVD entry for CVE-2025-57328 at the time of publication. Monitor the toggle-array GitHub repository for upstream fixes. Until a patched release is available, apply the workarounds below.
Workarounds
- Freeze the global prototype at application startup using Object.freeze(Object.prototype) to block runtime pollution
- Wrap calls to toggle-array with a guard that rejects property names matching reserved keywords
- Replace toggle-array with a maintained alternative or implement the toggle logic locally using Object.create(null) for backing storage
# Audit project dependencies for the vulnerable package
npm ls toggle-array
# Remove the package if not strictly required
npm uninstall toggle-array
# Apply runtime mitigation in your application entrypoint
node -e "Object.freeze(Object.prototype); require('./server.js')"
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
