CVE-2026-32260: Command Injection via incomplete shell metacharacter blocklist in node:child_process (bypass of CVE-2026-27190 fix)
Summary
A command injection vulnerability exists in Deno's node:childprocess polyfill (shell: true mode) that bypasses the fix for CVE-2026-27190 (GHSA-hmh4-3xvx-q5hr). An attacker who controls arguments passed to spawnSync or spawn with shell: true can execute arbitrary OS commands, bypassing Deno's permission system.
Affected versions: Deno v2.7.0, v2.7.1
## Details
The two-stage argument sanitization in transformDenoShellCommand (ext/node/polyfills/internal/childprocess.ts) has a priority bug: when an argument contains a $VAR pattern, it is wrapped in double quotes (L1290) instead of single quotes (L1293). Double quotes in POSIX sh do not suppress backtick command substitution, allowing injected commands to execute.
Attack chain: 1. escapeShellArg wraps the argument in single quotes (safe) 2. opnodeparseshellargs strips the single-quote delimiters during tokenization (raw argument exposed) 3. Re-quoting detects $VAR pattern → applies double quotes 4. Backtick payload inside double quotes executes via /bin/sh
## Impact
OS Command Injection (CWE-78). Any application using node:childprocess spawn/spawnSync with shell: true and user-controlled arguments is vulnerable. Injected commands execute at the OS process level, outside Deno's permission sandbox. Only --allow-run is required.
## Mitigation
Avoid passing user-controlled input as arguments to spawn/spawnSync with shell: true. Use shell: false (the default) instead, or validate/sanitize inputs before passing them.
Other sources
Deno is a JavaScript, TypeScript, and WebAssembly runtime. From 2.7.0 to 2.7.1, A command injection vulnerability exists in Deno's node:childprocess polyfill (shell: true mode) that bypasses the fix for CVE-2026-27190. The two-stage argument sanitization in transformDenoShellCommand (ext/node/polyfills/internal/childprocess.ts) has a priority bug: when an argument contains a $VAR pattern, it is wrapped in double quotes (L1290) instead of single quotes. Double quotes in POSIX sh do not suppress backtick command substitution, allowing injected commands to execute. An attacker who controls arguments passed to spawnSync or spawn with shell: true can execute arbitrary OS commands, bypassing Deno's permission system. This vulnerability is fixed in 2.7.2.
— NVD
Affected Software
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2026-32260?
CVE-2026-32260 has been rated as critical due to its potential for command injection.
How do I fix CVE-2026-32260?
To fix CVE-2026-32260, upgrade Deno to version 2.7.2 or later.
Which versions of Deno are affected by CVE-2026-32260?
Deno versions from 2.7.0 to 2.7.1 are affected by CVE-2026-32260.
What is the nature of CVE-2026-32260 vulnerability?
CVE-2026-32260 is a command injection vulnerability in the node:child_process polyfill.
How can I determine if my system is vulnerable to CVE-2026-32260?
You can determine vulnerability by checking if your Deno version is between 2.7.0 and 2.7.1.