vulnerability / NVI-00016175 / Revision 1
npm PraisonAI utility shell safe-command wrapper allowlist bypass via shell chaining
GitHub lists this reviewed advisory for praisonai. Published version ranges and source prerequisites are shown below; this is not an inspection of a visitor’s application.
This report has not inspected your inventory, configuration, deployed build, reachability or evidence. A catalog listing and a severity score do not establish exposure or compromise.
01 / Meaning
Why it matters
Published affected context helps an owner decide what evidence to gather. This report has not examined your application.
8.8 high
GitHub source severity; exploitability and local consequence require separate evidence.
As of · GitHub Advisory Database
02 / Applicability
The affected context
Affected versions, configuration prerequisites and known exclusions are public. Confirm each one against the deployed service.
praisonai
source listed>= 1.5.1, <= 1.7.1
## Summary The published npm package `praisonai` ships `dist/tools/utility-tools.js`, which exports a `shell(command)` helper described in source as: ```text Execute shell command (safe version - read-only commands) ``` The helper attempts to enforce a safe read-only command allowlist by checking only the first whitespace-delimited token: ```ts const safeCommands = ['ls', 'cat', 'head', 'tail', 'wc', 'grep', 'find', 'echo', 'date', 'pwd', 'which']; const firstWord = command.split(/\s+/)[0]; if (!safeCommands.includes(firstWord)) { return { success: false, error: `Command not allowed: ${firstWord}` }; } ``` It then passes the entire original string to Node `child_process.exec()`: ```ts const { stdout, stderr } = await execAsync(command, { timeout: 5000 }); ``` Because `exec()` runs the command through a shell, a command string that starts with an allowed command can append a second non-allowlisted command with shell metacharacters. For example, direct `printf ` is rejected, but `echo ok; printf ` is accepted and executes `printf`. This bypasses the helper's safe-command policy and allows arbitrary shell commands to run with the PraisonAI process privileg
03 / Response
What to do next
- investigate
Identify the exact component and deployed version, examine the linked publisher’s conditions, and retain evidence of any mitigation.
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04 / Limits
What this report cannot establish
- Customer inventory, deployment, reachability and exploitation have not been inspected.
05 / Provenance
Sources you can inspect
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- GHSA-5jv7-2mjm-h6qj ↗
GitHub Advisory Database · vendor advisory
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Public revision history
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- Revision 1 ·
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