GHSA-6fgx-x7m2-74qm — tracexec
Fix: kxxt/tracexec#118GHSA-6fgx-x7m2-74qm is a security vulnerability in tracexec. A fix is available for tracexec — see the affected versions and patch details below.
tracexec has `env` command argument injection via environment variables starting with dash in traced exec events
Real-World Exposure
tracexecReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects crates.io packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Impact
For tracexec's command line reconstruction feature, when a traced process executes another process with a environment variable where the key starts with a dash, tracexec incorrectly shows its commandline where such environment variables could cause argument injection for the env command.
Such an injection is completely at the UI level unless the user tries to copy the command line with the injection and paste it into a terminal to execute it.
A minimal POC is executing env -- -a=b bash --norc in tracexec's TUI mode. The resulting command line of env executing bash would be env -a bash -a=b _=/usr/bin/env /usr/bin/bash --norc in tracexec's TUI, which injects -a=b into env's arguments.
This has very limited effect for security. A local adversarial could leverage this to make tracexec show an inaccurate reconstructed commandline for their executed command. If the user of tracexec decides to copy and run the reconstructed commandline,
there could be injection for env's --block-signal, --default-signal, --ignore-signal, --split-string, --unset, --chdir, --argv0 arguments.
Patches
The fix is https://github.com/kxxt/tracexec/pull/118. Users are advised to upgrade to 0.14.0.
Workarounds
Don't blindly paste and execute commands copied from tracexec that contains environment variable where the key starts with a dash.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🦀crates.io | tracexec | all versions | 0.14.0cargo update -p tracexec --precise 0.14.0 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for tracexec, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update tracexec to 0.14.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-6fgx-x7m2-74qm is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like GHSA-6fgx-x7m2-74qm can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-6fgx-x7m2-74qm. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-6fgx-x7m2-74qm in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-6fgx-x7m2-74qm across crates.io dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.