GHSA-279x-mwfv-vcqv
Unauthenticated Nuxt DevTools RPC allows arbitrary command execution on the developer's host
Quick fix
GHSA-279x-mwfv-vcqv — @nuxt/devtools: upgrade to the fixed version with the command below.
npm install @nuxt/devtools@3.3.1 Details
### Impact
Nuxt DevTools (development mode only) exposes a bidirectional RPC channel over the Vite HMR WebSocket via the `nuxt:devtools:rpc` plugin. On affected versions the channel has no authentication: any client that can reach the Vite HMR endpoint (`ws://<host>:<port>/`, subprotocol `vite-hmr`) can call RPC methods, with no token, handshake, or origin check before the channel is established. The `updateOptions()`, `clearOptions()`, and `openInEditor()` methods do not enforce the `ensureDevAuthToken` check that the other mutating methods use.
`openInEditor()` reads the persisted `behavior.openInEditor` value and passes it to the `launch-editor` package, which spawns it as a child process. That value is settable through the equally unauthenticated `updateOptions()`. An attacker who can reach the HMR port can therefore chain `updateOptions('behavior', { openInEditor: '<command>' })` then `openInEditor('<any-existing-file>')` to execute an arbitrary program on the developer's machine.
The HMR port is reachable by a process on the same host, by any peer on the LAN when the dev server is bound with `nuxi dev --host`, or by a malicious website the developer visits while the dev server is running (a browser can open the HMR WebSocket cross-origin). Impact is limited to development environments; production builds do not run DevTools.
### Patches
Fixed in `@nuxt/devtools@3.3.1`. Because `nuxt` depends on `@nuxt/devtools` through a `^3.x` range, updating is a lockfile refresh / reinstall; no `nuxt` release is required.
### Workarounds
- Update `@nuxt/devtools` to a patched version. - Do not run the dev server bound to a non-loopback interface (`nuxi dev --host`) on an untrusted network. - Disable DevTools entirely with `devtools: { enabled: false }` in `nuxt.config`.
### References
- GHSA-279x-mwfv-vcqv - `launch-editor`: https://www.npmjs.com/package/launch-editor
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