CVE-2020-28494: Total.js Command Injection Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-4449-hg37-77v8
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CVSS 8.6
CWE-78
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-28494 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.6) command injection vulnerability (CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')) affecting Total.js libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves command injection in total.js. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.4.7.

CVE-2020-28494 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-28494
GHSA Identifier GHSA-4449-hg37-77v8
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.6
CWE Classification CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')
Affected Product Total.js
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.6

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:L/A:L).

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 Low (I:L)
Availability Low (A:L)

How to Fix CVE-2020-28494

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

total.js fixed: 3.4.7 
npm install total.js@3.4.7
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 total.js

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2020-28494, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls total.js

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Total.js in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.4.7), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls total.js 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 Total.js, 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

There is a command injection vulnerability that affects the package total.js before version 3.4.7. The issue occurs in the image.pipe and image.stream functions. The type parameter is used to build the command that is then executed using child_process.spawn. The issue occurs because child_process.spawn is called with the option shell set to true and because the type parameter is not properly sanitized.

CVE-2020-28494 Affected Total.js Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.4.7
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
total.js
npm/total.js
npm
< 3.4.7
3.4.7

References

NVD — CVE-2020-28494 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-28494
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/totaljs/framework/commit/6192491ab2631e7c1d317c221f18ea613e2c18a5
snyk.io/vuln/snyk-js-totalj... WEB
https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-TOTALJS-1046672
www.npmjs.com/package/total.js WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/package/total.js

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-28494?
CVE-2020-28494 is a security vulnerability in Total.js involving Command injection in total.js under CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection').
Which Total.js versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.4.7 across affected packages: total.js.
What version fixes CVE-2020-28494?
Upgrading to 3.4.7 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is total.js affected?
Yes, total.js is affected in releases prior to 3.4.7. Upgrade your dependency to 3.4.7 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-28494?
CVE-2020-28494 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.6 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-28494?
CVE-2020-28494 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-2020-28494?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls total.js'. 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-4449-hg37-77v8",
  "modified" : "2021-07-28T18:57:23Z",
  "published" : "2021-02-05T20:43:27Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-28494" ],
  "summary" : "Command injection in total.js",
  "details" : "There is a command injection vulnerability that affects the package total.js before version 3.4.7. The issue occurs in the image.pipe and image.stream functions. The type parameter is used to build the command that is then executed using child_process.spawn. The issue occurs because child_process.spawn is called with the option shell set to true and because the type parameter is not properly sanitized.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "total.js"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.4.7"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-28494"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/totaljs/framework/commit/6192491ab2631e7c1d317c221f18ea613e2c18a5"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-TOTALJS-1046672"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/package/total.js"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-78" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-02-03T07:49:15Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-02-02T11:15:00Z"
  }
}