CVE-2022-0436: Grunt Path Traversal Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-j383-35pm-c5h4
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CVSS 5.5
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2022-0436 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.5) path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Grunt libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves path traversal in grunt. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.5.2.

CVE-2022-0436 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2022-0436
GHSA Identifier GHSA-j383-35pm-c5h4
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.5
CWE Classification CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Affected Product Grunt
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.5

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2022-0436

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

grunt fixed: 1.5.2 
npm install grunt@1.5.2
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 grunt

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2022-0436, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls grunt

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Grunt in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.5.2), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls grunt 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-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal'), where the product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory. In Grunt, 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

Grunt prior to version 1.5.2 is vulnerable to path traversal.

CVE-2022-0436 Affected Grunt Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.5.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
grunt
npm/grunt
npm
< 1.5.2
1.5.2

References

NVD — CVE-2022-0436 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-0436
Grunt Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/gruntjs/grunt/pull/1743
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/gruntjs/grunt/commit/aad3d4521c3098fb255fb2db8f2e1d691a033665
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/gruntjs/grunt/commit/b0ec6e12426fc8d5720dee1702f6a67455c5986c
Grunt Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/gruntjs/grunt
huntr.dev/bounties/f55315e9-9... WEB
https://huntr.dev/bounties/f55315e9-9f6d-4dbb-8c40-bae50c1ae92b
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce... WEB
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/04/msg00008.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-0436?
CVE-2022-0436 is a security vulnerability in Grunt involving Path Traversal in Grunt under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Grunt versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.5.2 across affected packages: grunt.
What version fixes CVE-2022-0436?
Upgrading to 1.5.2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is grunt affected?
Yes, grunt is affected in releases prior to 1.5.2. Upgrade your dependency to 1.5.2 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2022-0436?
CVE-2022-0436 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2022-0436?
CVE-2022-0436 is classified under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') (The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2022-0436?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls grunt'. 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-j383-35pm-c5h4",
  "modified" : "2022-04-26T21:51:41Z",
  "published" : "2022-04-13T00:00:16Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2022-0436" ],
  "summary" : "Path Traversal in Grunt",
  "details" : "Grunt prior to version 1.5.2 is vulnerable to path traversal.",
  "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" : "grunt"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.5.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-0436"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/gruntjs/grunt/pull/1743"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/gruntjs/grunt/commit/aad3d4521c3098fb255fb2db8f2e1d691a033665"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/gruntjs/grunt/commit/b0ec6e12426fc8d5720dee1702f6a67455c5986c"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/gruntjs/grunt"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://huntr.dev/bounties/f55315e9-9f6d-4dbb-8c40-bae50c1ae92b"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/04/msg00008.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-04-26T21:51:41Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-04-12T21:15:00Z"
  }
}