CVE-2021-39134

HIGH

@npmcli/arborist < 2.8.2 - Arbitrary File Write via Case-Insensitive Dependency Resolution

Title source: llm
STIX 2.1

Description

`@npmcli/arborist`, the library that calculates dependency trees and manages the `node_modules` folder hierarchy for the npm command line interface, aims to guarantee that package dependency contracts will be met, and the extraction of package contents will always be performed into the expected folder. This is, in part, accomplished by resolving dependency specifiers defined in `package.json` manifests for dependencies with a specific name, and nesting folders to resolve conflicting dependencies. When multiple dependencies differ only in the case of their name, Arborist's internal data structure saw them as separate items that could coexist within the same level in the `node_modules` hierarchy. However, on case-insensitive file systems (such as macOS and Windows), this is not the case. Combined with a symlink dependency such as `file:/some/path`, this allowed an attacker to create a situation in which arbitrary contents could be written to any location on the filesystem. For example, a package `pwn-a` could define a dependency in their `package.json` file such as `"foo": "file:/some/path"`. Another package, `pwn-b` could define a dependency such as `FOO: "file:foo.tgz"`. On case-insensitive file systems, if `pwn-a` was installed, and then `pwn-b` was installed afterwards, the contents of `foo.tgz` would be written to `/some/path`, and any existing contents of `/some/path` would be removed. Anyone using npm v7.20.6 or earlier on a case-insensitive filesystem is potentially affected. This is patched in @npmcli/arborist 2.8.2 which is included in npm v7.20.7 and above.

References (4)

Core 4
Core References
Mitigation, Third Party Advisory x_refsource_confirm
https://github.com/npm/arborist/security/advisories/GHSA-2h3h-q99f-3fhc
Various Sources x_refsource_misc
https://www.npmjs.com/package/%40npmcli/arborist
Patch, Third Party Advisory x_refsource_misc
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2021.html
Patch, Third Party Advisory x_refsource_confirm
https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-389290.pdf

Scores

CVSS v3 8.2
EPSS 0.0054
EPSS Percentile 40.7%
Attack Vector LOCAL
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N

Details

CWE
CWE-61 CWE-178
Status published
Products (5)
npmcli/arborist 0 - 2.8.2npm
npmjs/arborist < 2.8.2
oracle/graalvm 20.3.3
oracle/graalvm 21.2.0
siemens/sinec_infrastructure_network_services < 1.0.1.1
Published Aug 31, 2021
Tracked Since Feb 18, 2026