CVE-2020-23256: Electerm Electerm Allows Unauthorized Users To Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-x73w-g8hx-v7rp
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-78 CWE-306
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-23256 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) electerm allows unauthorized users to vulnerability (CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')) affecting Electerm libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves electerm allows unauthorized users to execute arbitrary commands. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2020-23256 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-23256
GHSA Identifier GHSA-x73w-g8hx-v7rp
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 Electerm
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-2020-23256

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

electerm fixed: Latest secure release 
npm install electerm@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 electerm

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2020-23256, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls electerm

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Electerm 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 electerm 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 Electerm, 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

An issue was discovered in Electerm 1.3.22, allows attackers to execute arbitrary commands via unverified request to electerms service.

CVE-2020-23256 Affected Electerm Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
electerm
npm/electerm
npm
≤ 1.3.22

References

NVD — CVE-2020-23256 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-23256
Electerm Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/electerm/electerm/issues/1686
Electerm Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/electerm/electerm

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-23256?
CVE-2020-23256 is a security vulnerability in Electerm involving electerm allows unauthorized users to execute arbitrary commands under CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection').
Which Electerm versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: electerm.
What version fixes CVE-2020-23256?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is electerm affected?
Yes, electerm 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-2020-23256?
CVE-2020-23256 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-2020-23256?
CVE-2020-23256 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-2020-23256?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls electerm'. 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-x73w-g8hx-v7rp",
  "modified" : "2026-05-20T23:09:18Z",
  "published" : "2023-01-20T21:30:32Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-23256" ],
  "summary" : "electerm allows unauthorized users to execute arbitrary commands",
  "details" : "An issue was discovered in Electerm 1.3.22, allows attackers to execute arbitrary commands via unverified request to electerms service.",
  "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" : "electerm"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "1.3.22"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-23256"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/electerm/electerm/issues/1686"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/electerm/electerm"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-306", "CWE-78" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-01-28T01:18:11Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-01-20T19:15:00Z"
  }
}