CVE-2020-26222
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows remote code execution in Dependabot-Core when processing malicious branch names containing injectable bash code. Attackers can execute arbitrary commands on systems running vulnerable versions of Dependabot-Core. Organizations using Dependabot for automated dependency management across multiple programming languages are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- dependabot-core
- dependabot-common
- dependabot-go_modules
📦 What is this software?
Dependabot by Dependabot Project
Dependabot by Dependabot Project
Dependabot by Dependabot Project
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise allowing attackers to execute arbitrary commands, steal credentials, deploy malware, or pivot to other systems in the environment.
Likely Case
Unauthorized command execution leading to data exfiltration, service disruption, or deployment of malicious code in CI/CD pipelines.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper network segmentation, branch name validation, and minimal privileges for Dependabot processes.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires ability to create or influence branch names that Dependabot will process. The advisory includes specific examples of malicious branch names that trigger the vulnerability.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 0.125.1
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/dependabot/dependabot-core/security/advisories/GHSA-23f7-99jx-m54r
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Dependabot-Core to version 0.125.1 or later. 2. Restart all Dependabot services. 3. Verify the update by checking the version and testing with known malicious branch names.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Branch Name Escaping
allEscape branch names before passing them to Dependabot::Source class to prevent bash code injection.
Implement input validation and escaping for branch names in your Dependabot integration code
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict branch naming policies to prevent special characters in branch names
- Isolate Dependabot processes in restricted network segments with minimal privileges
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if Dependabot-Core version is between 0.119.0.beta1 and 0.125.0 inclusive.Check Version:
bundle show dependabot-common (for Ruby) or check package manager for other languagesVerify Fix Applied:
Verify Dependabot-Core version is 0.125.1 or later and test with branch names containing bash injection patterns.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual command execution in Dependabot logs
- HTTP requests to unexpected URLs during repository cloning
- Errors related to branch name processing
Network Indicators:
- Outbound connections from Dependabot processes to unexpected IPs/domains
- Unusual network traffic patterns during dependency updates
SIEM Query:
source="dependabot" AND (process_execution="curl" OR process_execution="wget" OR url="*127.0.0.1*")🔗 References
- https://github.com/dependabot/dependabot-core/commit/e089116abbe284425b976f7920e502b8e83a61b5
- https://github.com/dependabot/dependabot-core/pull/2727
- https://github.com/dependabot/dependabot-core/security/advisories/GHSA-23f7-99jx-m54r
- https://github.com/dependabot/dependabot-core/commit/e089116abbe284425b976f7920e502b8e83a61b5
- https://github.com/dependabot/dependabot-core/pull/2727
- https://github.com/dependabot/dependabot-core/security/advisories/GHSA-23f7-99jx-m54r
