CVE-2021-36753: Bat Uncontrolled Search Path Element Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-p24j-h477-76q3
Share
CVSS 7.8
CWE-427
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-36753 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.8) uncontrolled search path element vulnerability (CWE-427: Uncontrolled Search Path Element) affecting Bat libraries in the crates.io ecosystem. The issue involves uncontrolled search path element in sharkdp/bat. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.18.2.

CVE-2021-36753 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-36753
GHSA Identifier GHSA-p24j-h477-76q3
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.8
CWE Classification CWE-427: Uncontrolled Search Path Element
Affected Product Bat
Package Ecosystem crates.io
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.8

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:H/A:H).

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 High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2021-36753

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

bat fixed: 0.18.2 
Upgrade bat to 0.18.2
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

inspect dependencies for bat

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2021-36753, inspect your project dependencies for Bat:

inspect dependencies for bat

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Bat in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.18.2), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-427: Uncontrolled Search Path Element, where the product uses a fixed or controlled search path to find resources, but one or more locations in that path can be under the control of unintended actors. In Bat, 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

bat on windows before 0.18.2 executes programs named less.exe from the current working directory. This can lead to unintended code execution.

CVE-2021-36753 Affected Bat Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.18.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
bat
 crates.io
< 0.18.2
0.18.2

References

NVD — CVE-2021-36753 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-36753
Bat Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/sharkdp/bat/pull/1724
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/sharkdp/bat/commit/bf2b2df9c9e218e35e5a38ce3d03cffb7c363956
Bat Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/sharkdp/bat
Bat Release RELEASE
https://github.com/sharkdp/bat/releases/tag/v0.18.2
rustsec.org/advisories/rustsec-... WEB
https://rustsec.org/advisories/RUSTSEC-2021-0106.html
vuln.ryotak.me/advisories/53 WEB
https://vuln.ryotak.me/advisories/53

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-36753?
CVE-2021-36753 is a security vulnerability in Bat involving Uncontrolled Search Path Element in sharkdp/bat under CWE-427: Uncontrolled Search Path Element.
Which Bat versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.18.2 across affected packages: bat.
What version fixes CVE-2021-36753?
Upgrading to 0.18.2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is bat affected?
Yes, bat is affected in releases prior to 0.18.2. Upgrade your dependency to 0.18.2 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-36753?
CVE-2021-36753 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-36753?
CVE-2021-36753 is classified under CWE-427: Uncontrolled Search Path Element (The product uses a fixed or controlled search path to find resources, but one or more locations in that path can be under the control of unintended actors.).
How can I check crates.io dependencies for CVE-2021-36753?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for bat'. 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-p24j-h477-76q3",
  "modified" : "2021-09-09T16:57:53Z",
  "published" : "2021-08-25T21:01:37Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-36753" ],
  "summary" : "Uncontrolled Search Path Element in sharkdp/bat",
  "details" : "bat on windows before 0.18.2 executes programs named less.exe from the current working directory. This can lead to unintended code execution.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "crates.io",
      "name" : "bat"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.18.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-36753"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/sharkdp/bat/pull/1724"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/sharkdp/bat/commit/bf2b2df9c9e218e35e5a38ce3d03cffb7c363956"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/sharkdp/bat"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/sharkdp/bat/releases/tag/v0.18.2"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://rustsec.org/advisories/RUSTSEC-2021-0106.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://vuln.ryotak.me/advisories/53"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-427" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-07-19T16:44:50Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-07-15T20:15:00Z"
  }
}