CVE-2022-25918 : Security Advisory and Response

A detailed overview of the Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) vulnerability in the shescape package.

Understanding CVE-2022-25918

This section will cover the nature and impact of the vulnerability.

What is CVE-2022-25918?

The CVE-2022-25918, also known as Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS), affects the shescape package versions 1.5.10 and before 1.6.1. The vulnerability lies in the insecure regex usage in the escape function in index.js.

The Impact of CVE-2022-25918

The vulnerability could potentially lead to a denial of service (DoS) scenario due to inefficient regex that allows an attacker to cause the application to consume excessive resources, leading to a complete or partial unavailability of the service.

Technical Details of CVE-2022-25918

In this section, we will dive deeper into the technical aspects of the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability arises from the insecure regex implementation in the escape function in index.js of the shescape package.

Affected Systems and Versions

The shescape package versions 1.5.10 and any version prior to 1.6.1 are impacted by CVE-2022-25918.

Exploitation Mechanism

An attacker can exploit the vulnerability by crafting specific input that triggers the inefficient regex in the escape function, leading to a ReDoS scenario.

Mitigation and Prevention

To secure your systems against CVE-2022-25918, consider the following mitigation strategies.

Immediate Steps to Take

Update the shescape package to version 1.6.1 or later to patch the vulnerability.
Monitor and restrict the input patterns that can trigger excessive regex backtracking.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update dependencies to ensure you are not exposed to known vulnerabilities.
Implement input validation mechanisms to prevent malicious inputs from causing ReDoS attacks.

Patching and Updates

Stay informed about security patches and updates for the shescape package to address vulnerabilities promptly.