CVE-2021-23359: Port killer Code Injection Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-2548-q746-x5x6
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-20 CWE-77
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-23359 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) code injection vulnerability (CWE-20: Improper Input Validation) affecting Port killer libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves code injection in port-killer. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2021-23359 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-23359
GHSA Identifier GHSA-2548-q746-x5x6
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-20: Improper Input Validation
Affected Product Port killer
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2021-23359

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Port killer dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

port-killer fixed: Latest secure release 
npm install port-killer@Latest secure release
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

npm ls port-killer

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2021-23359, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls port-killer

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Port killer in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls port-killer command inspects dependencies declared in your package.json and lockfile; it does not perform automated runtime dynamic scanning.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation, where the product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly. In Port killer, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

This affects all versions of package port-killer. If (attacker-controlled) user input is given, it is possible for an attacker to execute arbitrary commands. This is due to use of the child_process exec function without input sanitization. Running this PoC will cause the command touch success to be executed, leading to the creation of a file called success.

CVE-2021-23359 Affected Port killer Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
port-killer
npm/port-killer
npm
≤ 1.0.1

References

NVD — CVE-2021-23359 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-23359
Port killer Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/tylerjpeterson/port-killer/blob/1ca3a99ad80cc9ed5498d12b185189c10329025b/index.js%23L19
snyk.io/vuln/snyk-js-portki... WEB
https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-PORTKILLER-1078533

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-23359?
CVE-2021-23359 is a security vulnerability in Port killer involving Code injection in port-killer under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation.
Which Port killer versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: port-killer.
What version fixes CVE-2021-23359?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is port-killer affected?
Yes, port-killer is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-23359?
CVE-2021-23359 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-23359?
CVE-2021-23359 is classified under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation (The product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2021-23359?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls port-killer'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-2548-q746-x5x6",
  "modified" : "2021-03-22T20:46:47Z",
  "published" : "2021-04-13T15:20:49Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-23359" ],
  "summary" : "Code injection in port-killer",
  "details" : "This affects all versions of package port-killer. If (attacker-controlled) user input is given, it is possible for an attacker to execute arbitrary commands. This is due to use of the child_process exec function without input sanitization. Running this PoC will cause the command touch success to be executed, leading to the creation of a file called success.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "port-killer"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "1.0.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-23359"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/tylerjpeterson/port-killer/blob/1ca3a99ad80cc9ed5498d12b185189c10329025b/index.js%23L19"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-PORTKILLER-1078533"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-20", "CWE-77" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-03-22T20:46:47Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-03-18T13:15:00Z"
  }
}