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CVE-2021-39157

Improper Handling of Exceptional Conditions in detect-character-encoding

7.5 HighFix available

detect-character-encoding is an open source character encoding inspection library. In detect-character-encoding v0.6.0 and earlier, data matching no charset causes the Node.js process to crash. The problem has been patched in detect-character-encoding v0.7.0. No workaround are available and all users should update to resolve this issue.

Attack profile

How easy it is to exploit

Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges needed
None
User interaction
None

What an attacker can affect

Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

Exploit likelihood

2.07%Up 1.2 points since Aug 25, 2021
90%50%10%1%

What each source reports

CVE List Score used 7.5

Improper Handling of Exceptional Conditions in detect-character-encoding

detect-character-encoding is an open source character encoding inspection library. In detect-character-encoding v0.6.0 and earlier, data matching no charset causes the Node.js process to crash. The problem has been patched in detect-character-encoding v0.7.0. No workaround are available and all users should update to resolve this issue.

Record
CVE-2021-39157
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Weakness
CWE-755
Updated
2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2021-1781 7.5

detect-character-encoding is an open source character encoding inspection library. In detect-character-encoding v0.6.0 and earlier, data matching no charset causes the Node.js process to crash. The problem has been patched in detect-character-encoding v0.7.0. No workaround are available and all users should update to resolve this issue.

Record
EUVD-2021-1781
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Updated
2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-jqfh-8hw5-fqjr 7.5

Improper Handling of Exceptional Conditions in detect-character-encoding

Impact

In detect-character-encoding v0.6.0 and earlier, data matching no charset causes the Node.js process to crash.

Patches

The problem has been patched in detect-character-encoding v0.7.0.

CVSS score

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H/RL:O/RC:C

Base Score: 7.5 (High) Temporal Score: 7.2 (High)

Since detect-character-encoding is a library, the scoring is based on the “reasonable worst-case implementation scenario”, namely, accepting data from untrusted sources over a network and passing it directly to detect-character-encoding. Depending on your specific implementation, the vulnerability’s severity in your program may be different.

Proof of concept

const express = require("express");
const bodyParser = require("body-parser");
const detectCharacterEncoding = require("detect-character-encoding");

const app = express();

app.use(bodyParser.raw());

app.post("/", (req, res) => {
  const charsetMatch = detectCharacterEncoding(req.body);

  res.end(charsetMatch.encoding);
});

app.listen(3000);

printf "\xAA" | curl --request POST --header "Content-Type: application/octet-stream" --data-binary @- http://localhost:3000 crashes the server.

Record
GHSA-jqfh-8hw5-fqjr
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Weakness
CWE-755
Updated
2026-11-02
NVD 7.5

detect-character-encoding is an open source character encoding inspection library. In detect-character-encoding v0.6.0 and earlier, data matching no charset causes the Node.js process to crash. The problem has been patched in detect-character-encoding v0.7.0. No workaround are available and all users should update to resolve this issue.

Record
CVE-2021-39157
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CVSS 2.0
5.0 MediumAV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P
Weakness
CWE-755
Updated
2026-11-02
OSV 7.5

detect-character-encoding is an open source character encoding inspection library. In detect-character-encoding v0.6.0 and earlier, data matching no charset causes the Node.js process to crash. The problem has been patched in detect-character-encoding v0.7.0. No workaround are available and all users should update to resolve this issue.

Record
CVE-2021-39157
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVGHSA-jqfh-8hw5-fqjr 7.5

Improper Handling of Exceptional Conditions in detect-character-encoding

Impact

In detect-character-encoding v0.6.0 and earlier, data matching no charset causes the Node.js process to crash.

Patches

The problem has been patched in detect-character-encoding v0.7.0.

CVSS score

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H/RL:O/RC:C

Base Score: 7.5 (High) Temporal Score: 7.2 (High)

Since detect-character-encoding is a library, the scoring is based on the “reasonable worst-case implementation scenario”, namely, accepting data from untrusted sources over a network and passing it directly to detect-character-encoding. Depending on your specific implementation, the vulnerability’s severity in your program may be different.

Proof of concept

const express = require("express");
const bodyParser = require("body-parser");
const detectCharacterEncoding = require("detect-character-encoding");

const app = express();

app.use(bodyParser.raw());

app.post("/", (req, res) => {
  const charsetMatch = detectCharacterEncoding(req.body);

  res.end(charsetMatch.encoding);
});

app.listen(3000);

printf "\xAA" | curl --request POST --header "Content-Type: application/octet-stream" --data-binary @- http://localhost:3000 crashes the server.

Record
GHSA-jqfh-8hw5-fqjr
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Weakness
CWE-755
Updated
2026-11-02

Affected products

Affected packages

Affected packages
PackageAffectedFixed
detect-character-encoding
npm
before 0.7.0
0.7.0

History

History
RecordedChangedSources
aliasesEUVD
first indexedCVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV

Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.

In short

CVE-2021-39157 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.5) in Detect-character-encoding Project Detect-character-encoding, published August 24, 2021. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 2.07%, the 81st percentile. Fixed in detect-character-encoding 0.7.0.

References

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