CVE-2016-10541

Affected versions of shell-quote do not properly escape command line arguments, which may result in command injection if the library is used to escape user input destined for use as command line arguments.

Proof of Concept:

The following characters are not escaped properly: >,;,{,}

Bash has a neat but not well known feature known as "Bash Brace Expansion", wherein a sub-command can be executed without spaces by running it between a set of {} and using the , instead of to seperate arguments. Because of this, full command injection is possible even though it was initially thought to be impossible.

   const quote = require('shell-quote').quote;
   console.log(quote(['a;{echo,test,123,234}']));
   // Actual                    "a;{echo,test,123,234}"
   // Expected                  "a\;\{echo,test,123,234\}"
   // Functional Equivalent     "a; echo 'test' '123' '1234'"

Untrusted input reaches a shell command, allowing arbitrary commands to run on the host. Typical impact: code execution in the application's environment.

CVE-2016-10541 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (1.6.1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

Update to version 1.6.1 or later.

1. What is CVE-2016-10541? CVE-2016-10541 is a critical-severity OS command injection vulnerability in shell-quote (npm), affecting versions < 1.6.1. It is fixed in 1.6.1. Untrusted input reaches a shell command, allowing arbitrary commands to run on the host.
2. How severe is CVE-2016-10541? CVE-2016-10541 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which versions of shell-quote are affected by CVE-2016-10541? shell-quote (npm) versions < 1.6.1 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2016-10541? Yes. CVE-2016-10541 is fixed in 1.6.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2016-10541 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2016-10541 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2016-10541 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix CVE-2016-10541? Upgrade shell-quote to 1.6.1 or later.