CVE-2021-39134

UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following in @npmcli/arborist

Description

`@npmcli/arborist`, the library that calculates dependency trees and manages the `node_modules` folder hierarchy for the npm command line interface, aims to guarantee that package dependency contracts will be met, and the extraction of package contents will always be performed into the expected folder. This is, in part, accomplished by resolving dependency specifiers defined in `package.json` manifests for dependencies with a specific name, and nesting folders to resolve conflicting dependencies. When multiple dependencies differ only in the case of their name, Arborist's internal data structure saw them as separate items that could coexist within the same level in the `node_modules` hierarchy. However, on case-insensitive file systems (such as macOS and Windows), this is not the case. Combined with a symlink dependency such as `file:/some/path`, this allowed an attacker to create a situation in which arbitrary contents could be written to any location on the filesystem. For example, a package `pwn-a` could define a dependency in their `package.json` file such as `"foo": "file:/some/path"`. Another package, `pwn-b` could define a dependency such as `FOO: "file:foo.tgz"`. On case-insensitive file systems, if `pwn-a` was installed, and then `pwn-b` was installed afterwards, the contents of `foo.tgz` would be written to `/some/path`, and any existing contents of `/some/path` would be removed. Anyone using npm v7.20.6 or earlier on a case-insensitive filesystem is potentially affected. This is patched in @npmcli/arborist 2.8.2 which is included in npm v7.20.7 and above.

Categories

8.2
CVSS
Severity: High
CVSS 3.1 •
CVSS 2.0 •
EPSS 1.36% Top 25%
Third-Party Advisory siemens.com Third-Party Advisory github.com Third-Party Advisory oracle.com
Affected: npm arborist
Published at:
Updated at:

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the severity of CVE-2021-39134?
CVE-2021-39134 has been scored as a high severity vulnerability.
How to fix CVE-2021-39134?
To fix CVE-2021-39134, make sure you are using an up-to-date version of the affected component(s) by checking the vendor release notes. As for now, there are no other specific guidelines available.
Is CVE-2021-39134 being actively exploited in the wild?
It is possible that CVE-2021-39134 is being exploited or will be exploited in a near future based on public information. According to its EPSS score, there is a ~1% probability that this vulnerability will be exploited by malicious actors in the next 30 days.
What software or system is affected by CVE-2021-39134?
CVE-2021-39134 affects npm arborist.
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