Summary
Infinite loop causing Denial of Service in colors
colors is a library for including colored text in node.js consoles. Between 07 and 09 January 2022, colors versions 1.4.1, 1.4.2, and 1.4.44-liberty-2 were published including malicious code that caused a Denial of Service due to an infinite loop. Software dependent on these versions experienced the printing of randomized characters to console and an infinite loop resulting in unbound system resource consumption.
Users of colors relying on these specific versions should downgrade to version 1.4.0.
Impact
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 GHSA-5RQG-JM4F-CQX7? GHSA-5RQG-JM4F-CQX7 is a high-severity security vulnerability in Colors (npm), affecting versions >= 1.4.1, <= 1.4.2. No fixed version is listed yet.
- Which versions of Colors are affected by GHSA-5RQG-JM4F-CQX7? Colors (npm) versions >= 1.4.1, <= 1.4.2 is affected.
- Is there a fix for GHSA-5RQG-JM4F-CQX7? No fixed version is listed for GHSA-5RQG-JM4F-CQX7 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is GHSA-5RQG-JM4F-CQX7 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-5RQG-JM4F-CQX7 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 GHSA-5RQG-JM4F-CQX7 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.