OS Command Injection in protobufjs-cli (CVE-2026-42290)
Summary
OS command injection in protobufjs-cli (CVE-2026-42290). Successful exploitation can lead to full system takeover. Exploitable via pbts. Mitigation: upgrade to 2.0.2 or later.
Original description
The description as published by the source.
protobufjs-cli is the command line add-on for protobuf.js. Prior to 1.2.1 and 2.0.2, pbts invoked JSDoc by building a shell command string from input file paths and executing it through child_process.exec. File paths containing shell metacharacters could therefore be interpreted by the shell instead of being passed to JSDoc as plain arguments. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.2.1 and 2.0.2.
Source: GitHub Security Advisories (Global) NVD GitHub Advisory
Auto-generated summary
Assembled by SecPulse from the source data (CVSS, CWE, affected versions) using templates — no AI involved. Check the original description and references below for exact details.
A vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-42290 has been found in protobufjs-cli.
Attackers can target a specific entry point like pbts over the network to misuse the product.
Successful exploitation can lead to full system takeover. CVSS score: 7.8/10.
What to do: upgrade protobufjs-cli to 2.0.2 or later.
If unsure, ask your IT team or search "protobufjs-cli CVE-2026-42290" on the vendor's site.
CVE-2026-42290 (protobufjs-cli) — CWE-78 / CVSS v3 7.8
Attack vector: local / unauthenticated
Attack surface: pbts / child_process.exec
Patched: 2.0.2 — apply immediately
Workaround: Do not run affected versions of pbts on attacker-controlled file names or paths.
Plan: 1) Audit SBOM/dependencies, 2) Stage→prod upgrade, 3) Add WAF/proxy monitoring on affected endpoints, 4) Hunt IOCs in logs.
Refs: see the GHSA / vendor advisory / patched release linked on this page.
OS command injection (CWE-78) exists in protobufjs-cli. Attackers reach the vulnerable code path via pbts without authentication.
Check the vendor advisory for the affected versions of protobufjs-cli. Attack surface: pbts / child_process.exec.
Severity: High (CVSS 7.8/10). Successful exploitation can lead to full system takeover.
Update to 2.0.2.
Workaround: Do not run affected versions of pbts on attacker-controlled file names or paths.
Search webserver/proxy logs for unusual request patterns matching this CVE's known IOCs. Run grep -r 'protobufjs-cli' . against your dependency files (package-lock.json, requirements.txt, go.sum) to find affected services.
Response actions
Concrete steps and command examples for SOC/SRE teams to execute in order
-
1Identify exposure identify
grep -r 'protobufjs-cli' . | grep -v node_modulesリポジトリと本番環境の依存ファイル (package-lock.json / requirements.txt / go.sum / Gemfile.lock 等) で
protobufjs-cliを grep し、稼働しているサービス・バージョンを把握する。 -
2Apply temporary workaround mitigate
Do not run affected versions of `pbts` on attacker-controlled file names or paths.パッチが適用されるまでの応急処置として、Do not run affected versions of
pbtson attacker-controlled file names or paths. を実施。回避策の副作用 (機能低下) を確認した上で。 -
3Apply patch patch
Upgrade protobufjs-cli to 2.0.2ステージング環境で 2.0.2 に上げて回帰テスト → 本番反映。回帰テストはアプリの主要ハッピーパスを含めること。
-
4Post-deployment verification verify
Confirm patched version is live in productionパッチ適用後、ステージングで PoC または同等の悪用パターンを再現して脆弱性が閉じたことを確認。本番ではアクセスログ・WAF でアラート再発が無いか継続監視。
Affected packages
References
- advisory github.com
- advisory nvd.nist.gov
- advisory github.com
- package github.com
- web github.com
- web github.com
- web github.com