CVE-2018-16460: Ps Ps Enables OS Command Injection Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-cfhg-9x44-78h2
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-78 CWE-77
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-16460 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) ps enables os command injection vulnerability (CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')) affecting Ps libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves ps enables os command injection. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.0.0.

CVE-2018-16460 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-16460
GHSA Identifier GHSA-cfhg-9x44-78h2
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 Ps
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:3.0/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-2018-16460

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

ps fixed: 1.0.0 
npm install ps@1.0.0
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 ps

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2018-16460, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls ps

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Ps in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.0.0), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls ps 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 Ps, 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

Versions of `ps` before 1.0.0 are vulnerable to command injection. ### Proof of concept: ```js var ps = require('ps'); ps.lookup({ pid: "$(touch success.txt)" }, function(err, proc) { // this method is vulnerable to command injection if (err) {throw err;} if (proc) { console.log(proc); // Process name, something like "node" or "bash" } else { console.log('No such process'); } }); // Result: The file success.txt will exist on the filesystem if the touch command was executed ``` ## Recommendation Update to version 1.0.0 or later.

CVE-2018-16460 Affected Ps Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.0.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
ps
npm/ps
npm
< 1.0.0
1.0.0

References

NVD — CVE-2018-16460 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-16460
hackerone.com/reports/390848 WEB
https://hackerone.com/reports/390848
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-cfhg-9x44-78h2
Ps Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/nodejs/security-wg/blob/master/vuln/npm/470.json
www.npmjs.com/advisories/728 WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/728

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-16460?
CVE-2018-16460 is a security vulnerability in Ps involving ps Enables OS Command Injection under CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection').
Which Ps versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.0.0 across affected packages: ps.
What version fixes CVE-2018-16460?
Upgrading to 1.0.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is ps affected?
Yes, ps is affected in releases prior to 1.0.0. Upgrade your dependency to 1.0.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-16460?
CVE-2018-16460 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-16460?
CVE-2018-16460 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-2018-16460?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls ps'. 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-cfhg-9x44-78h2",
  "modified" : "2023-09-11T18:21:34Z",
  "published" : "2018-09-17T20:43:59Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-16460" ],
  "summary" : "ps Enables OS Command Injection",
  "details" : "Versions of `ps` before 1.0.0 are vulnerable to command injection.\n\n### Proof of concept:\n```js\nvar ps = require('ps');\n\nps.lookup({ pid: \"$(touch success.txt)\" }, function(err, proc) { // this method is vulnerable to command injection\n    if (err) {throw err;}\n    if (proc) {\n        console.log(proc);  // Process name, something like \"node\" or \"bash\"\n    } else {\n        console.log('No such process');\n    }\n});\n\n// Result: The file success.txt will exist on the filesystem if the touch command was executed\n```\n\n\n## Recommendation\n\nUpdate to version 1.0.0 or later.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "ps"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.0.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-16460"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://hackerone.com/reports/390848"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-cfhg-9x44-78h2"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/nodejs/security-wg/blob/master/vuln/npm/470.json"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/728"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-77", "CWE-78" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:31:20Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}