CVE-2025-53832: Lara Translate MCP Server RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2025-53832 Overview

CVE-2025-53832 is a command injection vulnerability in the @translated/lara-mcp Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server for the Lara Translate API. The flaw affects versions 0.0.11 and earlier. The server passes unsanitized input parameters directly to child_process.exec, allowing attackers to inject arbitrary shell commands. Successful exploitation results in remote code execution under the privileges of the server process. The maintainers fixed the issue in version 0.0.12. This vulnerability is tracked under CWE-77 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command).

Critical Impact
Attackers can achieve remote code execution on hosts running vulnerable Lara Translate MCP Server instances by injecting shell metacharacters into translation input parameters.

Affected Products

@translated/lara-mcp MCP Server versions 0.0.11 and below
Lara Translate MCP Server integrations relying on vulnerable npm package versions
AI assistant and LLM workflows that route translation requests through the affected MCP Server

Discovery Timeline

2025-07-21 - CVE-2025-53832 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-04-15 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-53832

Vulnerability Analysis

The Lara Translate MCP Server exposes translation tooling to MCP clients such as AI assistants and LLM-driven agents. The server constructs shell commands using input parameters supplied by the calling client. Because the implementation invokes child_process.exec with concatenated strings rather than execFile with an argument array, the operating system shell interprets metacharacters such as |, >, &&, ;, and backticks. An attacker who controls translation parameters can break out of the intended command and append arbitrary system commands.

Exploitation requires user interaction, since an MCP client must trigger the vulnerable tool call. In agentic AI deployments, that interaction can occur indirectly through prompt injection delivered in untrusted content. Once executed, injected commands run with the same privileges as the MCP server process, which typically has access to local files, environment secrets, and outbound network connectivity.

Root Cause

The root cause is unsafe shell command construction. The server passes user-controlled strings directly into child_process.exec, which spawns a shell to parse the command line. Without input validation or argument escaping, any shell metacharacter in the input parameter is treated as command syntax. The fix in version 0.0.12 eliminates the unsafe invocation path. Refer to the GitHub commit details for the corrective changes.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based and requires user interaction from an MCP client. An attacker crafts a translation request containing shell metacharacters in a parameter that the server forwards to child_process.exec. When the server processes the request, the injected payload executes alongside the intended command. In multi-tenant or agent-driven environments, attackers can chain prompt injection with this flaw to pivot from untrusted content to host-level code execution. See the GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-xj5p-8h7g-76m7 for the maintainer's analysis.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-53832

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected child processes spawned by the Node.js process hosting @translated/lara-mcp, such as /bin/sh, bash, curl, wget, or nc.
Shell metacharacters (|, ;, &&, backticks, $()) appearing in MCP request logs for translation parameters.
Outbound network connections from the MCP server host to unfamiliar domains or IP addresses shortly after translation requests.
New files written to temporary directories or modifications to shell startup scripts on hosts running the MCP server.

Detection Strategies

Monitor process lineage for Node.js spawning shell interpreters with arguments containing user-supplied strings.
Inspect MCP server request payloads for shell metacharacters in fields that should contain only natural-language text or language codes.
Correlate MCP tool invocations with subsequent process creation and outbound network telemetry to detect anomalous chains.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable verbose logging on MCP servers and forward logs to a centralized analytics platform for retention and search.
Baseline normal child-process behavior for the MCP server and alert on deviations such as shell invocations or filesystem writes outside expected directories.
Track the installed version of @translated/lara-mcp across hosts and alert when versions at or below 0.0.11 appear.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-53832

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade @translated/lara-mcp to version 0.0.12 or later on all hosts running the MCP server.
Audit MCP server logs for shell metacharacters in translation parameters that may indicate prior exploitation attempts.
Restrict network access to MCP server endpoints so only trusted clients can submit requests.
Run the MCP server as a non-privileged user inside a sandboxed environment such as a container with a read-only filesystem.

Patch Information

The maintainers released version 0.0.12 of @translated/lara-mcp to remediate CVE-2025-53832. The patch removes the unsafe child_process.exec call path. Review the upstream commit and the security advisory for details, then update via your package manager.

Workarounds

If immediate upgrade is not possible, disable or remove the @translated/lara-mcp MCP Server from client configurations until the patch is applied.
Place the MCP server behind an authenticating proxy and validate request payloads to reject shell metacharacters before they reach the server.
Apply egress filtering and seccomp or AppArmor profiles to limit what commands and network destinations the server process can reach.

bash

# Upgrade the vulnerable package to the fixed release
npm install @translated/lara-mcp@0.0.12

# Verify the installed version
npm ls @translated/lara-mcp