CVE-2022-31180

Shescape vulnerable to insufficient escaping of whitespace

This only impacts users that use the escape or escapeAll functions with the interpolation option set to true. Example:

import cp from "node:child_process";
import * as shescape from "shescape";

// 1. Prerequisites
const options = {
  shell: "bash",
  // Or
  shell: "dash",
  // Or
  shell: "powershell.exe",
  // Or
  shell: "zsh",
  // Or
  shell: undefined, // Only if the default shell is one of the affected shells.
};

// 2. Attack (one of multiple)
const payload = "foo #bar";

// 3. Usage
let escapedPayload;
shescape.escape(payload, { interpolation: true });
// Or
shescape.escapeAll(payload, { interpolation: true });

cp.execSync(`echo Hello ${escapedPayload}!`, options);
// _Output depends on the shell being used_

The result is that if an attacker is able to include whitespace in their input they can:

1. Invoke shell-specific behaviour through shell-specific special characters inserted directly after whitespace.
   • Affected shells: Bash, Dash, Zsh, PowerShell
2. Invoke shell-specific behaviour through shell-specific special characters inserted or appearing after line terminating characters.
   • Affected shells: Bash
3. Invoke arbitrary commands by inserting a line feed character.
   • Affected Shells: Bash, Dash, Zsh, PowerShell
4. Invoke arbitrary commands by inserting a carriage return character.
   • Affected Shells: PowerShell

CVE-2022-31180 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 (1.5.8); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

Already deployed Kodem?

Behaviour number 1 has been patched in [v1.5.7] which you can upgrade to now. No further changes are required.

Behaviour number 2, 3, and 4 have been patched in [v1.5.8] which you can upgrade to now. No further changes are required.

1. What is CVE-2022-31180? CVE-2022-31180 is a critical-severity security vulnerability in shescape (npm), affecting versions >= 1.4.0, < 1.5.8. It is fixed in 1.5.8.
2. How severe is CVE-2022-31180? CVE-2022-31180 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 shescape are affected by CVE-2022-31180? shescape (npm) versions >= 1.4.0, < 1.5.8 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2022-31180? Yes. CVE-2022-31180 is fixed in 1.5.8. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2022-31180 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2022-31180 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-2022-31180 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-2022-31180? Upgrade shescape to 1.5.8 or later.

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