CVE-2021-41116: Composer/composer Improper Escaping Of Command Arguments Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-frqg-7g38-6gcf
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CVSS 8.2
CWE-77
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-41116 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.2) improper escaping of command arguments vulnerability (CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection')) affecting Composer/composer libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves improper escaping of command arguments on windows leading to command injection. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.10.23, 2.1.9.

CVE-2021-41116 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-41116
GHSA Identifier GHSA-frqg-7g38-6gcf
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.2
CWE Classification CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection')
Affected Product Composer/composer
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.2

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:R/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Changed (S:C)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2021-41116

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

composer/composer fixed: 1.10.23 
Upgrade composer/composer to 1.10.23
composer/composer fixed: 2.1.9 
Upgrade composer/composer to 2.1.9
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

inspect dependencies for composer/composer

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2021-41116, inspect your project dependencies for Composer/composer:

inspect dependencies for composer/composer

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Composer/composer in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.10.23), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of a command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended command when it is sent to a downstream component. In Composer/composer, 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

### Impact Windows users running Composer to install untrusted dependencies are affected and should definitely upgrade for safety. Other OSs and WSL are not affected. ### Patches 1.10.23 and 2.1.9 fix the issue ### Workarounds None

CVE-2021-41116 Affected Composer/composer Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.10.232.1.9
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
composer/composer
 Packagist
< 1.10.23
1.10.23
composer/composer
 Packagist
≥ 2.0.0-alpha1
< 2.1.9
2.1.9

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/composer/composer/security/advisories/GHSA-frqg-7g38-6gcf
NVD — CVE-2021-41116 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-41116
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/composer/composer/commit/ca5e2f8d505fd3bfac6f7c85b82f2740becbc0aa
Composer/composer Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/FriendsOfPHP/security-advisories/blob/master/composer/composer/CVE-2021-41116.yaml
Composer/composer Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/composer/composer
www.sonarsource.com/blog/securing-devel... WEB
https://www.sonarsource.com/blog/securing-developer-tools-package-managers
Composer/composer Security Information SECURITY
https://www.tenable.com/security/tns-2022-09

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-41116?
CVE-2021-41116 is a security vulnerability in Composer/composer involving Improper escaping of command arguments on Windows leading to command injection under CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection').
Which Composer/composer versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.10.23, 2.1.9 across affected packages: composer/composer.
What version fixes CVE-2021-41116?
Upgrading to 1.10.23, 2.1.9 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is composer/composer affected?
Yes, composer/composer is affected in releases prior to 1.10.23, 2.1.9. Upgrade your dependency to 1.10.23, 2.1.9 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-41116?
CVE-2021-41116 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.2 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-41116?
CVE-2021-41116 is classified under CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection') (The product constructs all or part of a command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended command when it is sent to a downstream component.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2021-41116?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for composer/composer'. 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-frqg-7g38-6gcf",
  "modified" : "2021-10-11T18:39:06Z",
  "published" : "2021-10-05T20:23:18Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-41116" ],
  "summary" : "Improper escaping of command arguments on Windows leading to command injection",
  "details" : "### Impact\nWindows users running Composer to install untrusted dependencies are affected and should definitely upgrade for safety. Other OSs and WSL are not affected. \n\n### Patches\n1.10.23 and 2.1.9 fix the issue\n\n### Workarounds\nNone\n",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "composer/composer"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.10.23"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "composer/composer"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.0.0-alpha1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.1.9"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/composer/composer/security/advisories/GHSA-frqg-7g38-6gcf"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-41116"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/composer/composer/commit/ca5e2f8d505fd3bfac6f7c85b82f2740becbc0aa"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/FriendsOfPHP/security-advisories/blob/master/composer/composer/CVE-2021-41116.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/composer/composer"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.sonarsource.com/blog/securing-developer-tools-package-managers"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.tenable.com/security/tns-2022-09"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-77" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-10-05T18:44:04Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-10-05T18:15:00Z"
  }
}