CVE-2018-16462: Apex publish static files Command Injection Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-9jm3-5835-537m
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CVSS 10.0
CWE-77
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-16462 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 10.0) command injection vulnerability (CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection')) affecting Apex publish static files libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves command injection in apex-publish-static-files. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.0.1.

CVE-2018-16462 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-16462
GHSA Identifier GHSA-9jm3-5835-537m
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 10.0
CWE Classification CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection')
Affected Product Apex publish static files
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 10.0

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2018-16462

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

apex-publish-static-files fixed: 2.0.1 
npm install apex-publish-static-files@2.0.1
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 apex-publish-static-files

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2018-16462, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls apex-publish-static-files

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Apex publish static files in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.0.1), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls apex-publish-static-files 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-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of a command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended command when it is sent to a downstream component. In Apex publish static files, 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

Versions of `apex-publish-static-files` before 2.0.1 are vulnerable to command injection. This is exploitable if user input is passed into the `connectString` option in the `publish` method. ## Recommendation Update to version 2.0.1 or later.

CVE-2018-16462 Affected Apex publish static files Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.0.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
apex-publish-static-files
npm/apex-publish-static-files
npm
< 2.0.1
2.0.1

References

NVD — CVE-2018-16462 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-16462
hackerone.com/reports/405694 WEB
https://hackerone.com/reports/405694
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-9jm3-5835-537m
Apex publish static files Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/nodejs/security-wg/blob/master/vuln/npm/475.json
www.npmjs.com/advisories/718 WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/718

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-16462?
CVE-2018-16462 is a security vulnerability in Apex publish static files involving Command Injection in apex-publish-static-files under CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection').
Which Apex publish static files versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.0.1 across affected packages: apex-publish-static-files.
What version fixes CVE-2018-16462?
Upgrading to 2.0.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is apex-publish-static-files affected?
Yes, apex-publish-static-files is affected in releases prior to 2.0.1. Upgrade your dependency to 2.0.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-16462?
CVE-2018-16462 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 10.0 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-16462?
CVE-2018-16462 is classified under CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection') (The product constructs all or part of a command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended command when it is sent to a downstream component.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2018-16462?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls apex-publish-static-files'. 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-9jm3-5835-537m",
  "modified" : "2023-09-13T19:36:05Z",
  "published" : "2018-11-01T14:48:50Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-16462" ],
  "summary" : "Command Injection in apex-publish-static-files",
  "details" : "Versions of `apex-publish-static-files` before 2.0.1 are vulnerable to command injection. This is exploitable if user input is passed into the `connectString` option in the `publish` method.\n\n\n## Recommendation\n\nUpdate to version 2.0.1 or later.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "apex-publish-static-files"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.0.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-16462"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://hackerone.com/reports/405694"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-9jm3-5835-537m"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/nodejs/security-wg/blob/master/vuln/npm/475.json"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/718"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-77" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:28:57Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}