GHSA-cr3w-cw5w-h3fj is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.6) remote code execution vulnerability in @saltcorn/server. A fix is available for @saltcorn/server — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Saltcorn's Reflected XSS and Command Injection vulnerabilities can be chained for 1-click-RCE
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.
@saltcorn/servernpmDescription
Summary
- There is a reflected XSS vulnerability in the GET /admin/edit-codepage/:name route through the name parameter. This can be used to hijack the session of an admin if they click a specially crafted link.
- Additionally, there is a Command Injection vulnerability in GET /admin/backup. The admin can inject a shell command in the backup password which is inserted in the command used to create the backup zip.
Both vulnerabilities can be chained to craft a malicious link which will execute an arbitrary shell command on the server if it is clicked by a saltcorn admin with an active session. I believe iframes could also be used to exploit this silently when the admin visits an attacker-controlled web page (though I have not tested that).
Details
- The XSS vulnerability is here: https://github.com/saltcorn/saltcorn/blob/020893c0001678fd5ebd2c088ba68b395de1aabc/packages/server/routes/admin.js#L4886-L4887 Specifically, the name parameter is inserted into the pages breadcrumbs without sanitization.
- The Command Injection happens here: https://github.com/saltcorn/saltcorn/blob/020893c0001678fd5ebd2c088ba68b395de1aabc/packages/saltcorn-admin-models/models/backup.ts#L381-L382
PoC
- A minimal PoC for the XSS can be as simple as: http://localhost:3000/admin/edit-codepage/%3Cimg%20src%3Dx%20onerror%3Dalert%281%29%3E%0A (assuming saltcorn running at localhost:3000 and the user having an active admin session)
- For the Command Injection, visit the backup section of saltcorn, set an admin password like
";$(whoami);"(including the quotation marks) and then click "Download a backup" in the "Manual backup" section. This should display an error page saying that /bin/sh could not find the binary named "root" or "saltcorn", depending on the user.
An example of an exploit that chains both vulnerabilities and generates the aforementioned malicious link: exploit.zip
Affected Versions
Edit: The following Docker containers from docker hub were tested: 1.4.1, 1.4.0, 1.3.1, 1.3.0, 1.2.0, 1.1.2, 1.1.1, 1.0.0 The Command Injection is applicable to versions >= 1.3.0. The XSS is applicable to versions >= 1.1.1
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | @saltcorn/server | ≥ 1.1.1&&< 1.5.0-beta.19 | 1.5.0-beta.19npm install @saltcorn/server@1.5.0-beta.19 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for @saltcorn/server, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update @saltcorn/server to 1.5.0-beta.19 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-cr3w-cw5w-h3fj 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-cr3w-cw5w-h3fj can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-cr3w-cw5w-h3fj. 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-cr3w-cw5w-h3fj in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-cr3w-cw5w-h3fj across npm dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.