CVE-2020-7729: Grunt Arbitrary Code Execution Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-m5pj-vjjf-4m3h
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CVSS 7.1
CWE-1188
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-7729 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.1) arbitrary code execution vulnerability (CWE-1188: Initialization of a Resource with an Insecure Default) affecting Grunt libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves arbitrary code execution in grunt. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.3.0.

CVE-2020-7729 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-7729
GHSA Identifier GHSA-m5pj-vjjf-4m3h
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.1
CWE Classification CWE-1188: Initialization of a Resource with an Insecure Default
Affected Product Grunt
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.1

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2020-7729

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

grunt fixed: 1.3.0 
npm install grunt@1.3.0
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 grunt

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2020-7729, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls grunt

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Grunt in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.3.0), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls grunt 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-1188: Initialization of a Resource with an Insecure Default, where the product initializes or sets a resource with a default that is intended to be changed by the product's installer, administrator, or maintainer, but the default is not secure. In Grunt, 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

The package grunt before 1.3.0 are vulnerable to Arbitrary Code Execution due to the default usage of the function load() instead of its secure replacement safeLoad() of the package js-yaml inside grunt.file.readYAML.

CVE-2020-7729 Affected Grunt Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.3.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
grunt
npm/grunt
npm
< 1.3.0
1.3.0

References

NVD — CVE-2020-7729 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-7729
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/gruntjs/grunt/commit/e350cea1724eb3476464561a380fb6a64e61e4e7
Grunt Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/gruntjs/grunt/blob/master/lib/grunt/file.js%23L249
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce... WEB
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/09/msg00008.html
snyk.io/vuln/snyk-java-orgw... WEB
https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JAVA-ORGWEBJARSNPM-607922
snyk.io/vuln/snyk-js-grunt-... WEB
https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-GRUNT-597546
usn.ubuntu.com/4595-1 WEB
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4595-1

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-7729?
CVE-2020-7729 is a security vulnerability in Grunt involving Arbitrary Code Execution in grunt under CWE-1188: Initialization of a Resource with an Insecure Default.
Which Grunt versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.3.0 across affected packages: grunt.
What version fixes CVE-2020-7729?
Upgrading to 1.3.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is grunt affected?
Yes, grunt is affected in releases prior to 1.3.0. Upgrade your dependency to 1.3.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-7729?
CVE-2020-7729 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.1 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-7729?
CVE-2020-7729 is classified under CWE-1188: Initialization of a Resource with an Insecure Default (The product initializes or sets a resource with a default that is intended to be changed by the product's installer, administrator, or maintainer, but the default is not secure.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2020-7729?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls grunt'. 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-m5pj-vjjf-4m3h",
  "modified" : "2021-05-04T22:57:23Z",
  "published" : "2021-05-06T18:27:18Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-7729" ],
  "summary" : "Arbitrary Code Execution in grunt",
  "details" : "The package grunt before 1.3.0 are vulnerable to Arbitrary Code Execution due to the default usage of the function load() instead of its secure replacement safeLoad() of the package js-yaml inside grunt.file.readYAML.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "grunt"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.3.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-7729"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/gruntjs/grunt/commit/e350cea1724eb3476464561a380fb6a64e61e4e7"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/gruntjs/grunt/blob/master/lib/grunt/file.js%23L249"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/09/msg00008.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JAVA-ORGWEBJARSNPM-607922"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-GRUNT-597546"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://usn.ubuntu.com/4595-1"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-1188" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-05-04T22:57:23Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-09-03T09:15:00Z"
  }
}