What is CVE-2023-3696?

CVE-2023-3696 is a critical-severity security vulnerability in mongoose (npm), affecting versions >= 7.0.0, < 7.3.3. It is fixed in 7.3.3, 6.11.3, 5.13.20.

How severe is CVE-2023-3696?

CVE-2023-3696 has a CVSS score of 10.0 (Critical). 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 mongoose are affected by CVE-2023-3696?

mongoose (npm) versions >= 7.0.0, < 7.3.3 is affected.

Is there a fix for CVE-2023-3696?

Yes. CVE-2023-3696 is fixed in 7.3.3, 6.11.3, 5.13.20. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is CVE-2023-3696 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2023-3696 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.

What actually determines whether CVE-2023-3696 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.

CVE-2023-3696 in mongoose | Intelligent Application Security

Q: How severe is CVE-2023-3696?

CVE-2023-3696 has a CVSS score of 10.0 (Critical). 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.

Q: Which versions of mongoose are affected by CVE-2023-3696?

mongoose (npm) versions >= 7.0.0, < 7.3.3 is affected.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2023-3696?

Yes. CVE-2023-3696 is fixed in 7.3.3, 6.11.3, 5.13.20. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is CVE-2023-3696 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2023-3696 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.

Q: What actually determines whether CVE-2023-3696 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.

Q: How do I fix CVE-2023-3696?

Upgrade: mongoose to 7.3.3 or later, mongoose to 6.11.3 or later, mongoose to 5.13.20 or later.

Summary

Prototype Pollution in GitHub repository automattic/mongoose prior to 7.3.3, 6.11.3, and 5.13.20.

Impact

CVE-2023-3696 has a CVSS score of 10.0 (Critical). 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 (7.3.3, 6.11.3, 5.13.20); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

mongoose (>= 7.0.0, < 7.3.3) mongoose (>= 6.0.0, < 6.11.3) mongoose (< 5.13.20)

Security releases

mongoose → 7.3.3 (npm) mongoose → 6.11.3 (npm) mongoose → 5.13.20 (npm)

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.

See it in your environment

Remediation advice

Upgrade the following packages to resolve this vulnerability:

mongoose to 7.3.3 or later; mongoose to 6.11.3 or later; mongoose to 5.13.20 or later

Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-3696? CVE-2023-3696 is a critical-severity security vulnerability in mongoose (npm), affecting versions >= 7.0.0, < 7.3.3. It is fixed in 7.3.3, 6.11.3, 5.13.20.
How severe is CVE-2023-3696? CVE-2023-3696 has a CVSS score of 10.0 (Critical). 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 mongoose are affected by CVE-2023-3696? mongoose (npm) versions >= 7.0.0, < 7.3.3 is affected.
Is there a fix for CVE-2023-3696? Yes. CVE-2023-3696 is fixed in 7.3.3, 6.11.3, 5.13.20. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is CVE-2023-3696 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-3696 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-2023-3696 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-2023-3696?
- Upgrade mongoose to 7.3.3 or later
- Upgrade mongoose to 6.11.3 or later
- Upgrade mongoose to 5.13.20 or later

Other vulnerabilities in mongoose

CVE-IDSeverityPackage summary

CVE-2026-42334Highmongoose: Mongoose's Improper Sanitization of $nor in sanitizeFilter May Allow NoSQL Injection CVE-2025-23061Criticalmongoose: Mongoose search injection vulnerability CVE-2024-53900Highmongoose: Mongoose search injection vulnerability CVE-2022-24304Criticalmongoose: Mongoose Vulnerable to Prototype Pollution in Schema Object CVE-2022-2564Highmongoose: automattic/mongoose vulnerable to Prototype pollution via Schema.path