CVE-2021-23334: Withdrawn Arbitrary Code Execution Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-8v27-2fg9-7h62
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-94
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-23334 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) arbitrary code execution vulnerability (CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')) affecting Withdrawn libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves arbitrary code execution in static-eval. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2021-23334 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-23334
GHSA Identifier GHSA-8v27-2fg9-7h62
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')
Affected Product Withdrawn
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-2021-23334

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Withdrawn dependencies to a patched release.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

static-eval fixed: Latest secure release 
npm install static-eval@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 static-eval

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2021-23334, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls static-eval

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Withdrawn in your dependency tree.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 static-eval 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-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment. In Withdrawn, 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

All versions of package static-eval are vulnerable to Arbitrary Code Execution using FunctionExpressions and TemplateLiterals. PoC: var evaluate = require('static-eval'); var parse = require('esprima').parse; var src="(function (x) { return ${eval("console.log(global.process.mainModule.constructor._load('child_process').execSync('ls').toString())")} })()" var ast = parse(src).body[0].expression; evaluate(ast) # WITHDRAWN This was deemed not a vulnerability. See [this issue](https://github.com/browserify/static-eval/issues/34) for details.

CVE-2021-23334 Affected Withdrawn Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
static-eval
npm/static-eval
npm
≤ 2.1.0

References

NVD — CVE-2021-23334 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-23334
Withdrawn Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/browserify/static-eval/blob/master/index.js%23L180
snyk.io/vuln/snyk-java-orgw... WEB
https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JAVA-ORGWEBJARSNPM-1071860
snyk.io/vuln/snyk-js-static... WEB
https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-STATICEVAL-1056765

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-23334?
CVE-2021-23334 is a security vulnerability in Withdrawn involving Arbitrary Code Execution in static-eval under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection').
Which Withdrawn versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: static-eval.
What version fixes CVE-2021-23334?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is static-eval affected?
Yes, static-eval 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-2021-23334?
CVE-2021-23334 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-2021-23334?
CVE-2021-23334 is classified under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection') (The product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2021-23334?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls static-eval'. 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-8v27-2fg9-7h62",
  "modified" : "2021-05-06T16:12:57Z",
  "published" : "2021-05-06T16:11:25Z",
  "withdrawn" : "2021-05-04T20:26:20Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-23334" ],
  "summary" : "Withdrawn: Arbitrary Code Execution in static-eval",
  "details" : "All versions of package static-eval are vulnerable to Arbitrary Code Execution using FunctionExpressions and TemplateLiterals. PoC: var evaluate = require('static-eval'); var parse = require('esprima').parse; var src=\"(function (x) { return ${eval(\"console.log(global.process.mainModule.constructor._load('child_process').execSync('ls').toString())\")} })()\" var ast = parse(src).body[0].expression; evaluate(ast)\n\n# WITHDRAWN\n\nThis was deemed not a vulnerability. See [this issue](https://github.com/browserify/static-eval/issues/34) for details.",
  "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" : "static-eval"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "2.1.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-23334"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/browserify/static-eval/blob/master/index.js%23L180"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JAVA-ORGWEBJARSNPM-1071860"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-STATICEVAL-1056765"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-94" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-03-18T23:01:14Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-02-11T12:15:00Z"
  }
}