CVE-2020-13619: Locutus OS Command Injection Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-h86x-mv66-gr5q
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-78
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-13619 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) os command injection vulnerability (CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')) affecting Locutus libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves os command injection in locutus. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2020-13619 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-13619
GHSA Identifier GHSA-h86x-mv66-gr5q
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')
Affected Product Locutus
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

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:U/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 Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2020-13619

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

locutus fixed: Latest secure release 
npm install locutus@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 locutus

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2020-13619, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls locutus

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Locutus 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 locutus 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-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of an os command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended os command when it is sent to a downstream component. In Locutus, 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

php/exec/escapeshellarg in Locutus PHP through 2.0.11 allows an attacker to achieve code execution.

CVE-2020-13619 Affected Locutus Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
locutus
npm/locutus
npm
≤ 2.0.11

References

NVD — CVE-2020-13619 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-13619
Locutus Security Information SECURITY
https://locutus.io/php
web.archive.org/web/20230521185837/... WEB
https://web.archive.org/web/20230521185837/https://reallinkers.github.io/CVE-2020-13619
www.npmjs.com/package/locutus WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/package/locutus

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-13619?
CVE-2020-13619 is a security vulnerability in Locutus involving OS Command Injection in Locutus under CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection').
Which Locutus versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: locutus.
What version fixes CVE-2020-13619?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is locutus affected?
Yes, locutus 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-2020-13619?
CVE-2020-13619 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-13619?
CVE-2020-13619 is classified under CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') (The product constructs all or part of an OS command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended OS command when it is sent to a downstream component.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2020-13619?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls locutus'. 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-h86x-mv66-gr5q",
  "modified" : "2021-07-26T19:28:18Z",
  "published" : "2021-07-26T21:21:43Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-13619" ],
  "summary" : "OS Command Injection in Locutus",
  "details" : "php/exec/escapeshellarg in Locutus PHP through 2.0.11 allows an attacker to achieve code execution.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "locutus"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "2.0.11"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-13619"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://locutus.io/php"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20230521185837/https://reallinkers.github.io/CVE-2020-13619"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/package/locutus"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-78" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-07-26T19:28:18Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-07-01T17:15:00Z"
  }
}