CVE-2020-7785: Node ps Command Injection Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-4rv9-5vc4-88cg
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-78
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-7785 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) command injection vulnerability (CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')) affecting Node ps libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves command injection in node-ps. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2020-7785 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-7785
GHSA Identifier GHSA-4rv9-5vc4-88cg
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 Node 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:3.1/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-2020-7785

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Node 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.

node-ps fixed: Latest secure release 
npm install node-ps@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 node-ps

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2020-7785, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls node-ps

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Node ps 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 node-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 Node 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

This affects all versions of package node-ps. The injection point is located in line 72 in lib/index.js.

CVE-2020-7785 Affected Node ps Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
node-ps
npm/node-ps
npm
≤ 0.0.2

References

NVD — CVE-2020-7785 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-7785
Node ps Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/fortruce/node-ps/blob/master/lib/index.js#L72
snyk.io/vuln/snyk-js-nodeps... WEB
https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-NODEPS-1048335
www.npmjs.com/package/node-ps WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/package/node-ps

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-7785?
CVE-2020-7785 is a security vulnerability in Node ps involving Command injection in node-ps under CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection').
Which Node ps versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: node-ps.
What version fixes CVE-2020-7785?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is node-ps affected?
Yes, node-ps 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-2020-7785?
CVE-2020-7785 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-2020-7785?
CVE-2020-7785 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-2020-7785?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls node-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-4rv9-5vc4-88cg",
  "modified" : "2021-03-16T00:59:16Z",
  "published" : "2021-03-19T21:21:06Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-7785" ],
  "summary" : "Command injection in node-ps",
  "details" : "This affects all versions of package node-ps. The injection point is located in line 72 in lib/index.js.",
  "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" : "node-ps"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "0.0.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-7785"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/fortruce/node-ps/blob/master/lib/index.js#L72"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-NODEPS-1048335"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/package/node-ps"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-78" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-03-16T00:59:16Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-02-08T19:15:00Z"
  }
}