Summary
url-parse incorrectly parses hostname / protocol due to unstripped leading control characters.
Leading control characters in a URL are not stripped when passed into url-parse. This can cause input URLs to be mistakenly be interpreted as a relative URL without a hostname and protocol, while the WHATWG URL parser will trim control characters and treat it as an absolute URL.
If url-parse is used in security decisions involving the hostname / protocol, and the input URL is used in a client which uses the WHATWG URL parser, the decision may be incorrect.
This can also lead to a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability if url-parse is used to check for the javascript: protocol in URLs. See following example:
const parse = require('url-parse')
const express = require('express')
const app = express()
const port = 3000
url = parse(\"\\bjavascript:alert(1)\")
console.log(url)
app.get('/', (req, res) => {
if (url.protocol !== \"javascript:\") {res.send(\"<a href=\\'\" + url.href + \"\\'>CLICK ME!</a>\")}
})
app.listen(port, () => {
console.log(`Example app listening on port ${port}`)
})
Impact
CVE-2022-0691 has a CVSS score of 6.5 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (1.5.9); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2022-0691? CVE-2022-0691 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in url-parse (npm), affecting versions >= 0.1.0, < 1.5.9. It is fixed in 1.5.9.
- How severe is CVE-2022-0691? CVE-2022-0691 has a CVSS score of 6.5 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which versions of url-parse are affected by CVE-2022-0691? url-parse (npm) versions >= 0.1.0, < 1.5.9 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2022-0691? Yes. CVE-2022-0691 is fixed in 1.5.9. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2022-0691 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2022-0691 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2022-0691 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2022-0691? Upgrade
url-parseto 1.5.9 or later.