Summary
Command Injection in ascii-art
Versions of ascii-art before 1.4.4 are vulnerable to command injection. This is exploitable when user input is passed into the argument of the ascii-art preview command.
Example Proof of concept:ascii-art preview 'doom"; touch /tmp/malicious; echo "'
Given that the input is passed on the command line and none of the api methods are vulnerable to this, the likely exploitation vector is when the ascii-art comment is being called programmatically using something like execFile.
Impact
Untrusted input is inserted into a command that is later executed by the application, allowing the attacker to alter the intent of that command. Typical impact: arbitrary command execution in the application's environment.
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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Update to version 1.4.4 or later.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is GHSA-9HQJ-38J2-5JGM? GHSA-9HQJ-38J2-5JGM is a low-severity command injection vulnerability in ascii-art (npm), affecting versions <= 1.4.2. It is fixed in 1.4.4. Untrusted input is inserted into a command that is later executed by the application, allowing the attacker to alter the intent of that command.
- Which versions of ascii-art are affected by GHSA-9HQJ-38J2-5JGM? ascii-art (npm) versions <= 1.4.2 is affected.
- Is there a fix for GHSA-9HQJ-38J2-5JGM? Yes. GHSA-9HQJ-38J2-5JGM is fixed in 1.4.4. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is GHSA-9HQJ-38J2-5JGM exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-9HQJ-38J2-5JGM 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 GHSA-9HQJ-38J2-5JGM 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 GHSA-9HQJ-38J2-5JGM? Upgrade
ascii-artto 1.4.4 or later.