What is CVE-2023-52079?

CVE-2023-52079 is a high-severity security vulnerability in msgpackr (npm), affecting versions < 1.10.1. It is fixed in 1.10.1.

How severe is CVE-2023-52079?

CVE-2023-52079 has a CVSS score of 8.6 (High). 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 msgpackr are affected by CVE-2023-52079?

msgpackr (npm) versions < 1.10.1 is affected.

Is there a fix for CVE-2023-52079?

Yes. CVE-2023-52079 is fixed in 1.10.1. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is CVE-2023-52079 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2023-52079 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-2023-52079 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-2023-52079?

Upgrade msgpackr to 1.10.1 or later.

CVE-2023-52079 in msgpackr

Q: How severe is CVE-2023-52079?

CVE-2023-52079 has a CVSS score of 8.6 (High). 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 msgpackr are affected by CVE-2023-52079?

msgpackr (npm) versions < 1.10.1 is affected.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2023-52079?

Yes. CVE-2023-52079 is fixed in 1.10.1. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is CVE-2023-52079 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2023-52079 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-2023-52079 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-2023-52079?

Upgrade msgpackr to 1.10.1 or later.

Summary

msgpackr's conversion of property names to strings can trigger infinite recursion

Workarounds

Exploits seem to require structured cloning, replacing the 0x70 extension with your own (that throws an error or does something other than recursive referencing) should mitigate the issue.

References

Impact

When decoding user supplied MessagePack messages, users can trigger stuck threads by crafting messages that keep the decoder stuck in a loop.

CVE-2023-52079 has a CVSS score of 8.6 (High). 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 (1.10.1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

msgpackr (< 1.10.1)

Security releases

msgpackr → 1.10.1 (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.

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Remediation advice

The fix is available in v1.10.1

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-52079? CVE-2023-52079 is a high-severity security vulnerability in msgpackr (npm), affecting versions < 1.10.1. It is fixed in 1.10.1.
How severe is CVE-2023-52079? CVE-2023-52079 has a CVSS score of 8.6 (High). 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 msgpackr are affected by CVE-2023-52079? msgpackr (npm) versions < 1.10.1 is affected.
Is there a fix for CVE-2023-52079? Yes. CVE-2023-52079 is fixed in 1.10.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is CVE-2023-52079 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-52079 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-2023-52079 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-2023-52079? Upgrade msgpackr to 1.10.1 or later.