GHSA-hcwq-x9fw-8cfq
MEDIUMGHSA-hcwq-x9fw-8cfq is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.5) OS Command Injection vulnerability in @apostrophecms/cli. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-hcwq-x9fw-8cfq is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
@apostrophecms/cli: Command Injection in apos create via Unsanitized Password Input
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-hcwq-x9fw-8cfq.
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-hcwq-x9fw-8cfq 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 358,265 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.
@apostrophecms/clinpmDescription
Summary
The @apostrophecms/cli package contains a command injection vulnerability in the apos create command. User-supplied input from the password prompt is embedded directly into a shell command without proper sanitization or escaping. This allows execution of arbitrary commands on the host system.
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Details
Vulnerable file: lib/commands/create.js Location: Line 186
The CLI collects a password using an interactive prompt and passes it directly into a shell command.
Vulnerable code:
const response = await prompts({ type: 'password', name: 'pw', message: '🔏 Please enter a password:' });
exec(echo "${response.pw}" | ${createUserCommand});
The value of response.pw is not validated, sanitized, or escaped before being used in exec().
This allows shell metacharacters such as ;, &&, and $() to break out of the intended command and execute arbitrary commands.
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Steps to Reproduce
- Install the CLI npm install -g @apostrophecms/cli
- Create a new project mkdir testproject && cd testproject apos create mysite 3)When prompted for the admin password, enter "; id > /tmp/apos_rce_proof.txt; echo " 4)Verify command execution cat /tmp/apos_rce_proof.txt
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Proof of Concept Output
uid=1000(vboxuser) gid=1000(vboxuser) groups=1000(vboxuser),27(sudo),984(docker)
This confirms arbitrary command execution with the privileges of the user running the CLI.
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Impact
Arbitrary command execution on the developer’s machine Execution occurs with the privileges of the user running the CLI
This can lead to:
File modification or deletion Credential exposure System compromise depending on user privileges
An attacker can exploit this by influencing the password input (for example, through social engineering, malicious documentation, or compromised automation scripts).
The proof-of-concept shows execution under a user belonging to privileged groups such as sudo and docker, which may allow further privilege escalation depending on system configuration.
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Suggested Fix
Avoid using exec() with user-controlled input.
Use execFile() instead:
const { execFileSync } = require('child_process');
execFileSync('node', [appJsPath, userTask, 'admin', 'admin'], { input: response.pw + '\n' });
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Affected Version
All current versions of @apostrophecms/cli
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Tested On
Ubuntu 22.04 Node.js v18.19.1
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CWE
CWE-78 — Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command
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Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | @apostrophecms/cli | 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 @apostrophecms/cli. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Remediation status
No patched version of @apostrophecms/cli has shipped for GHSA-hcwq-x9fw-8cfq yet. Where your build allows, override or pin the dependency away from the vulnerable range, and apply any maintainer-recommended mitigation.
Mitigate without a patch
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 pinpoints whether GHSA-hcwq-x9fw-8cfq is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to GHSA-hcwq-x9fw-8cfq. 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-hcwq-x9fw-8cfq in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-hcwq-x9fw-8cfq across npm dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.