CVE-2021-23363: Kill by port Arbitrary Code Execution Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-mm4f-47ch-f7hx
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CVSS 6.3
CWE-77
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-23363 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.3) arbitrary code execution vulnerability (CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection')) affecting Kill by port libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves arbitrary code execution in kill-by-port. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.0.2.

CVE-2021-23363 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-23363
GHSA Identifier GHSA-mm4f-47ch-f7hx
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.3
CWE Classification CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection')
Affected Product Kill by port
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.3

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2021-23363

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

kill-by-port fixed: 0.0.2 
npm install kill-by-port@0.0.2
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 kill-by-port

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2021-23363, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls kill-by-port

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Kill by port in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.0.2), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls kill-by-port 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 Kill by port, 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

This affects the package kill-by-port before 0.0.2. If (attacker-controlled) user input is given to the killByPort function, it is possible for an attacker to execute arbitrary commands. This is due to use of the child_process exec function without input sanitization.

CVE-2021-23363 Affected Kill by port Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.0.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
kill-by-port
npm/kill-by-port
npm
< 0.0.2
0.0.2

References

NVD — CVE-2021-23363 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-23363
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/GuyMograbi/kill-by-port/commit/ea5b1f377e196a4492e05ff070eba8b30b7372c4
Kill by port Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/GuyMograbi/kill-by-port
Kill by port Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/GuyMograbi/kill-by-port/blob/16dcbe264b6b4a5ecf409661b42836dd286fd43f/index.js#23L8
snyk.io/vuln/snyk-js-killby... WEB
https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-KILLBYPORT-1078531

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-23363?
CVE-2021-23363 is a security vulnerability in Kill by port involving Arbitrary code execution in kill-by-port under CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection').
Which Kill by port versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.0.2 across affected packages: kill-by-port.
What version fixes CVE-2021-23363?
Upgrading to 0.0.2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is kill-by-port affected?
Yes, kill-by-port is affected in releases prior to 0.0.2. Upgrade your dependency to 0.0.2 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-23363?
CVE-2021-23363 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.3 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-23363?
CVE-2021-23363 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-2021-23363?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls kill-by-port'. 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-mm4f-47ch-f7hx",
  "modified" : "2022-07-05T18:00:53Z",
  "published" : "2021-04-13T15:32:43Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-23363" ],
  "summary" : "Arbitrary code execution in kill-by-port",
  "details" : "This affects the package kill-by-port before 0.0.2. If (attacker-controlled) user input is given to the killByPort function, it is possible for an attacker to execute arbitrary commands. This is due to use of the child_process exec function without input sanitization.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "kill-by-port"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.0.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-23363"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/GuyMograbi/kill-by-port/commit/ea5b1f377e196a4492e05ff070eba8b30b7372c4"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/GuyMograbi/kill-by-port"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/GuyMograbi/kill-by-port/blob/16dcbe264b6b4a5ecf409661b42836dd286fd43f/index.js#23L8"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-KILLBYPORT-1078531"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-77" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-03-31T20:18:57Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-03-30T15:15:00Z"
  }
}