# CVE-2022-36313: file-type vulnerable to Infinite Loop via malformed MKV file

> A malformed MKV file triggers an infinite loop in the file-type library, causing application unresponsiveness and denial of service.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 21 Jul 2022
- **Updated:** 7 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-mhxj-85r3-2x55, ROOT-APP-NPM-CVE-2022-36313

## What is CVE-2022-36313?

CVE-2022-36313 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in n/a, published on 21 Jul 2022. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

An issue was discovered in the file-type package before 16.5.4 and 17.x before 17.1.3 for Node.js. A malformed MKV file could cause the file type detector to get caught in an infinite loop. This would make the application become unresponsive and could be used to cause a DoS attack.

Weakness: CWE-835 (Loop with Unreachable Exit Condition)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-36313?

4 open source packages ship an affected version, including file-type. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `file-type` | npm | From 13.0.0 | 16.5.4 |
| `file-type` | npm | From 13.0.0 | 16.5.4 |
| `file-type` | npm | From 17.0.0 | 17.1.3 |
| `file-type` | npm | From 17.0.0 | 17.1.3 |

Products: Sindresorhus File-Type.

## How do I fix CVE-2022-36313?

Upgrade file-type to a fixed version for your release line: 16.5.4 or 17.1.3.

## Is CVE-2022-36313 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-36313 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2026-32630](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-32630/): file-type affected by ZIP Decompression Bomb DoS via [Content_Types].xml entry (medium 5.3)
- [CVE-2026-31808](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-31808/): file-type affected by infinite loop in ASF parser on malformed input with zero-size sub-header (medium 5.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2022-36313 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-36313 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in n/a, published on 21 Jul 2022. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-36313 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- file-type (npm): affected from 13.0.0; fixed in 16.5.4
- file-type (npm): affected from 13.0.0; fixed in 16.5.4
- file-type (npm): affected from 17.0.0; fixed in 17.1.3
- file-type (npm): affected from 17.0.0; fixed in 17.1.3

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-36313/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-36313/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-36313
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-36313
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-36313

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-36313/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.