CVE-2018-3785
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2018-3785 is a command injection vulnerability in git-dummy-commit v1.3.0 that allows attackers to execute arbitrary operating system commands by passing specially crafted input to an unescaped parameter. This affects anyone using the vulnerable version of git-dummy-commit, particularly developers and CI/CD pipelines that incorporate this tool.
💻 Affected Systems
- git-dummy-commit
📦 What is this software?
Git Dummy Commit by Git Dummy Commit Project
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise with attacker gaining complete control over the host system, allowing data theft, lateral movement, and persistent backdoor installation.
Likely Case
Arbitrary command execution in the context of the user running git-dummy-commit, potentially leading to data exfiltration, privilege escalation, or system manipulation.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if the tool runs in a sandboxed environment with minimal privileges and network restrictions.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires the ability to control input to git-dummy-commit. The vulnerability is well-documented with public proof-of-concept available.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Version 1.4.0 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/722
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Update git-dummy-commit to version 1.4.0 or later using npm: npm update git-dummy-commit
2. Verify the update completed successfully
3. Test functionality to ensure compatibility
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Input validation and sanitization
allImplement strict input validation and sanitization for all parameters passed to git-dummy-commit
Run with minimal privileges
linuxExecute git-dummy-commit with a non-privileged user account with limited system access
sudo -u lowprivilegeuser git-dummy-commit
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Remove git-dummy-commit from production environments and development pipelines
- Replace git-dummy-commit functionality with alternative tools or custom scripts that properly sanitize input
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check package.json or run: npm list git-dummy-commit | grep git-dummy-commitCheck Version:
npm list git-dummy-commit | grep git-dummy-commitVerify Fix Applied:
Verify installed version is 1.4.0 or later: npm list git-dummy-commit📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual command execution patterns from git-dummy-commit process
- Suspicious system commands in git-dummy-commit logs
- Unexpected child process spawning
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected outbound connections from systems running git-dummy-commit
- Command and control traffic patterns
SIEM Query:
process.name:"git-dummy-commit" AND (process.cmdline:*cmd* OR process.cmdline:*sh* OR process.cmdline:*bash*)