CVE-2023-40582: Find-exec RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2023-40582 Overview

CVE-2023-40582 is a critical command injection vulnerability affecting the find-exec Node.js utility package. This package is commonly used to discover available shell commands on a system. Versions prior to 1.0.3 failed to properly escape user input, allowing attackers to inject and execute arbitrary shell commands within the context of the running Node.js process.

Critical Impact

Attackers can execute arbitrary shell commands on vulnerable systems, potentially leading to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, or lateral movement within the network.

Affected Products

• find-exec versions prior to 1.0.3 (Node.js package)
• Applications using vulnerable versions of find-exec as a dependency
• Node.js environments running affected find-exec versions

Discovery Timeline

• 2023-08-30 - CVE-2023-40582 published to NVD
• 2024-11-21 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2023-40582

Vulnerability Analysis

The find-exec package contains a command injection vulnerability (CWE-78) that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary shell commands. The vulnerability exists because user-supplied input is passed directly to shell execution functions without proper sanitization or escaping. This is particularly dangerous in Node.js applications that accept untrusted input and pass it to find-exec for command discovery operations.

The vulnerability can be exploited remotely without authentication, requiring no user interaction. Successful exploitation grants attackers the ability to execute commands with the same privileges as the Node.js process, potentially compromising confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system.

Root Cause

The root cause is the lack of input sanitization when processing arguments passed to the find-exec function. Prior to the fix, the package directly incorporated user-supplied strings into shell commands executed via Node.js's child_process.execSync() function. Without proper quoting or escaping of shell metacharacters, specially crafted input containing shell operators (such as ;, |, &&, or backticks) could break out of the intended command context and execute arbitrary commands.

Attack Vector

This vulnerability is exploitable over the network when applications expose find-exec functionality to external input. An attacker can craft a malicious payload containing shell metacharacters that, when processed by the vulnerable package, results in command execution. The attack requires no privileges or authentication, and no user interaction is necessary for exploitation.

// Security patch - shell-quote library integration
// Source: https://github.com/shime/find-exec/commit/74fb108097c229b03d6dba4cce81e36aa364b51c

 var exec = require('child_process').execSync
 var platform = require('os').platform()
+var quote = require("shell-quote").quote
 
 module.exports = function(){
   var commands = Array.isArray(arguments[0]) ? arguments[0] : Array.prototype.slice.apply(arguments)

The fix introduces the shell-quote library to properly escape user input before it is passed to shell execution functions, preventing command injection attacks.

Detection Methods for CVE-2023-40582

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected shell processes spawned by Node.js applications
• Unusual command patterns in process execution logs containing shell metacharacters (;, |, &&, backticks)
• Network connections or file access originating from Node.js processes to unexpected destinations
• Anomalous system calls or process creation events from applications using find-exec

Detection Strategies

• Monitor Node.js application logs for suspicious input patterns containing shell metacharacters
• Implement runtime application self-protection (RASP) to detect command injection attempts
• Use software composition analysis (SCA) tools to identify vulnerable find-exec versions in your dependency tree
• Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for unexpected process creation from Node.js applications

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging for Node.js applications utilizing the find-exec package
• Configure alerting for unusual process execution patterns from Node.js runtime environments
• Monitor npm/yarn package manifests for vulnerable dependency versions
• Implement file integrity monitoring on critical system files that could be modified through command injection

How to Mitigate CVE-2023-40582

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade find-exec to version 1.0.3 or later immediately
• Audit applications using find-exec to ensure all input is from trusted sources
• Review and validate all user input before passing to find-exec functions
• Consider implementing input allowlists for commands passed to find-exec

Patch Information

The vulnerability has been addressed in find-exec version 1.0.3. The fix integrates the shell-quote library to properly escape shell metacharacters in user input before execution. The security patch is available in commit 74fb108097c229b03d6dba4cce81e36aa364b51c. For complete details, refer to the GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-95rp-6gqp-6622.

Workarounds

• Ensure all input passed to find-exec originates from trusted sources only
• Implement strict input validation and sanitization before calling find-exec
• Use allowlists to restrict acceptable command names to known-safe values
• Consider wrapping find-exec calls with custom sanitization logic using the shell-quote library

# Update find-exec to patched version
npm update find-exec@1.0.3

# Or explicitly install the fixed version
npm install find-exec@^1.0.3

# Verify installed version
npm list find-exec