Summary
Command injection in gh-ost
Gh-ost version <= 1.1.2 allows users to inject DSN strings via the -database parameter.
This is a low severity vulnerability as the attacker must have access to the target host or trick an administrator into executing a malicious gh-ost command on a host running gh-ost, plus network access from host running gh-ost to the attack's malicious MySQL server.
Workarounds
None
References
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Open an issue in github/gh-ost
Impact
This issue may lead to arbitrary local file read.
The application does not adequately validate input before processing it, allowing unexpected values to reach sensitive code paths. Typical impact: varies by context: data corruption, logic bypass, or denial of service.
CVE-2022-21687 has a CVSS score of 6.8 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, high 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 (1.1.3); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
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. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
Already deployed Kodem?
See it in your environmentNew to Kodem? Get a demo →Remediation advice
Fixed in 1.1.3+.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2022-21687? CVE-2022-21687 is a medium-severity improper input validation vulnerability in github.com/github/gh-ost (go), affecting versions < 1.1.3. It is fixed in 1.1.3. The application does not adequately validate input before processing it, allowing unexpected values to reach sensitive code paths.
- How severe is CVE-2022-21687? CVE-2022-21687 has a CVSS score of 6.8 (Medium). 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.
- Which versions of github.com/github/gh-ost are affected by CVE-2022-21687? github.com/github/gh-ost (go) versions < 1.1.3 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2022-21687? Yes. CVE-2022-21687 is fixed in 1.1.3. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2022-21687 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2022-21687 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
- What actually determines whether CVE-2022-21687 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.
- How do I fix CVE-2022-21687? Upgrade
github.com/github/gh-ostto 1.1.3 or later.