In Eclipse Theia versions 0.7.0 and up until including 1.73.1, the PreferenceUtils.merge function in @theia/core recursively merges preference values without rejecting prototype-related keys (proto, constructor, prototype). Because this function is invoked by PreferenceServiceImpl.doResolve for every preference resolution across scopes (default, user, workspace, folder), a crafted preference value in a workspace settings file (.theia/settings.json or .vscode/settings.json) can pollute Object.prototype when the user opens the workspace, potentially altering application logic across the Theia process.