CVE-2023-3696: 
JavaScript vulnerability analysis and mitigation

A critical security vulnerability (CVE-2023-3696) was discovered in Mongoose, a MongoDB object modeling tool for Node.js, affecting versions prior to 7.3.4. The vulnerability is identified as a Prototype Pollution issue, which received a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (Critical), indicating its severe nature (NVD, SecurityOnline).

The vulnerability is classified as CWE-1321 (Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes). The flaw occurs when an attacker can manipulate an object on the Mongo server, potentially triggering prototype pollution on any Mongoose client. The vulnerability can be exploited through the $rename operator in functions like findByIdAndUpdate, particularly when a service allows injection of an arbitrary object containing a proto field (SecurityOnline).

The vulnerability's impact is severe, particularly when used in combination with Express and EJS, where it can lead to Remote Code Execution (RCE). Additionally, it can result in Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks, with the severity depending on the size of the Mongo collection and the libraries implemented in the application. The vulnerability can affect multiple libraries susceptible to prototype pollution exploits (SecurityOnline).

The vulnerability has been patched in Mongoose version 7.3.4. Users are strongly advised to upgrade to this version or later to protect against this security issue. A fix has been implemented to avoid prototype pollution during initialization, as evidenced by the patch commit (GitHub).