CVE-2018-3786 in egg-scripts
Summary
by MITRE
A command injection vulnerability in egg-scripts <v2.8.1 allows arbitrary shell command execution through a maliciously crafted command line argument.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/04/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-3786 represents a critical command injection flaw within the egg-scripts package, specifically affecting versions prior to v2.8.1. This vulnerability resides in the way the package processes command line arguments, creating an opportunity for attackers to execute arbitrary shell commands on systems where the affected software is installed. The issue stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization mechanisms that fail to properly handle maliciously crafted command line parameters, allowing attackers to inject shell commands that get executed within the context of the application's privileges.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-77, which categorizes command injection flaws as weaknesses that occur when a program incorporates untrusted data into shell commands without proper sanitization. The flaw manifests when egg-scripts processes command line arguments that contain shell metacharacters or command separators such as semicolons, ampersands, or backticks, enabling attackers to append additional commands to the intended execution flow. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be exploited through various attack vectors including direct invocation of the script with malicious arguments, or through applications that utilize egg-scripts as a dependency and fail to properly validate user input before passing it to the vulnerable component.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-3786 extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it can enable full system compromise when exploited by threat actors. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the process running egg-scripts, potentially leading to complete system takeover, data exfiltration, or persistence mechanisms establishment. The vulnerability affects environments where egg-scripts is used for process management, particularly in Node.js applications where it serves as a utility for managing daemon processes. Given that many production systems rely on automated deployment scripts and process management tools, the potential attack surface for this vulnerability is substantial, especially in continuous integration environments where command line arguments might be constructed from user inputs or configuration files.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-3786 should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems to version 2.8.1 or later, which includes proper input validation and sanitization measures. Organizations should implement robust input validation at multiple layers including application-level sanitization, parameterized command execution where possible, and strict access controls on systems running vulnerable versions. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability under T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter, highlighting the importance of monitoring for unusual command execution patterns. Additional defensive measures include network segmentation to limit access to systems running vulnerable software, implementing application whitelisting policies, and conducting thorough security assessments of all dependencies in the software supply chain to identify similar vulnerabilities. Regular security audits and vulnerability scanning should be performed to ensure that all components in the software stack are up to date and properly secured against command injection attacks.