CVE-2020-28437: Heroku env Heroku-env Susceptible To Command Injection Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-jp45-65jw-94mj
Share
CVSS 9.8
CWE-77
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-28437 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) heroku-env susceptible to command injection vulnerability (CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection')) affecting Heroku env libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves heroku-env susceptible to command injection. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2020-28437 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-28437
GHSA Identifier GHSA-jp45-65jw-94mj
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection')
Affected Product Heroku env
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-2020-28437

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

heroku-env fixed: Latest secure release 
npm install heroku-env@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 heroku-env

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2020-28437, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls heroku-env

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Heroku env 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 heroku-env 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 Heroku env, 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

A command injection vulnerability affects all versions of package heroku-env. The injection point is located in lib/get.js which is required by index.js.

CVE-2020-28437 Affected Heroku env Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
heroku-env
npm/heroku-env
npm
≤ 0.2.0

References

NVD — CVE-2020-28437 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-28437
Heroku env Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/brianc/node-heroku-env
Heroku env Security Information SECURITY
https://security.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-HEROKUENV-1050432

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-28437?
CVE-2020-28437 is a security vulnerability in Heroku env involving heroku-env susceptible to command injection under CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection').
Which Heroku env versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: heroku-env.
What version fixes CVE-2020-28437?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is heroku-env affected?
Yes, heroku-env 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-2020-28437?
CVE-2020-28437 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-2020-28437?
CVE-2020-28437 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-2020-28437?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls heroku-env'. 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-jp45-65jw-94mj",
  "modified" : "2022-08-10T17:54:26Z",
  "published" : "2022-08-03T00:00:57Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-28437" ],
  "summary" : "heroku-env susceptible to command injection",
  "details" : "A command injection vulnerability affects all versions of package heroku-env. The injection point is located in lib/get.js which is required by index.js.",
  "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" : "heroku-env"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "0.2.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-28437"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/brianc/node-heroku-env"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-HEROKUENV-1050432"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-77" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-08-10T17:54:26Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-08-02T14:15:00Z"
  }
}