Summary
Orval: Import-time RCE via schema default -> zod module-level template literal
Orval's zod schema generation emits a schema's default value as a module-level template literal (export const …Default = ;) without escaping ${ or the backtick. A default of the form v${<code>}w injects a live JavaScript expression that is evaluated when the generated zod schema module is imported, executing attacker-controlled code at import, no request or function call needed. Verified on Orval 8.19.0; survives default OpenAPI validation.
Details
export const getIResponseDsDefault = `v${globalThis.ORVPWN()}w`;
${...} permits an arbitrary JS expression. Orval escapes its other value sinks (enum, mock, regex, object-default values) with \' inside single-quoted strings; the string default is the one value emitted as a backtick template literal, so ${...}/backtick are interpreted, not escaped. Distinct from the URL-template-literal cases (different field and sink) and from the published Orval CVEs (summary/MCP, x-enumDescriptions, const/mock).
PoC
reproduce.sh (+ make_spec.py) attached: generates the zod schema with default validation, bundles it, imports it, and shows a marker written at import. Verified on 8.19.0.
Impact
Code execution at import in any application that imports a zod schema module generated from an attacker-controlled or attacker-influenced OpenAPI description.
Untrusted input is evaluated as executable code within the application's runtime environment. Typical impact: arbitrary code execution within the application's privilege context.
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.
Already deployed Kodem?
See it in your environmentNew to Kodem? Get a demo →Remediation advice
Emit default values via a proper string-literal encoder (JSON.stringify, or escape backtick and ${ if a template literal must be used); never interpolate a spec value into a template literal.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2026-72717? CVE-2026-72717 is a critical-severity code injection vulnerability in orval (npm), affecting versions < 8.21.0. It is fixed in 8.21.0. Untrusted input is evaluated as executable code within the application's runtime environment.
- Which versions of orval are affected by CVE-2026-72717? orval (npm) versions < 8.21.0 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-72717? Yes. CVE-2026-72717 is fixed in 8.21.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2026-72717 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-72717 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-2026-72717 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-2026-72717? Upgrade
orvalto 8.21.0 or later.