# CVE-2022-24725: Exposure of home directory through shescape on Unix with Bash

> Attackers can expose the home directory path on Unix systems using Bash when the interpolation option is enabled in the shescape library.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.2 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 3 Mar 2022
- **Updated:** 22 Apr 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-446w-rrm4-r47f

## What is CVE-2022-24725?

CVE-2022-24725 is a medium-severity vulnerability in ericcornelissen shescape, published on 3 Mar 2022. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Shescape is a shell escape package for JavaScript. An issue in versions 1.4.0 to 1.5.1 allows for exposure of the home directory on Unix systems when using Bash with the `escape` or `escapeAll` functions from the _shescape_ API with the `interpolation` option set to `true`. Other tested shells, Dash and Zsh, are not affected. Depending on how the output of _shescape_ is used, directory traversal may be possible in the application using _shescape_. The issue was patched in version 1.5.1. As a workaround, manually escape all instances of the tilde character (`~`) using `arg.replace(/~/g, "\\~")`.

Weakness: CWE-78 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command), CWE-200 (Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-24725?

2 open source packages ship an affected version, including shescape. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `shescape` | npm | From 1.4.0 | 1.5.1 |
| `shescape` | npm | From 1.4.0 | 1.5.1 |

Products: Shescape Project Shescape.

## How do I fix CVE-2022-24725?

Upgrade shescape to 1.5.1 or later.

## Is CVE-2022-24725 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2022-24725 exists.

## Other vulnerabilities in ericcornelissen shescape

- [CVE-2022-31180](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-31180/): Insufficient escaping of whitespace in shescape (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2022-31179](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-31179/): Insufficient escaping of line feeds for CMD in shescape (high 8.1)
- [CVE-2026-32094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-32094/): Shescape escape() leaves bracket glob expansion active on Bash, BusyBox, and Dash (medium 6.9)
- [CVE-2023-40185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-40185/): Shescape on Windows escaping may be bypassed in threaded context (medium 6.5)
- [CVE-2021-21384](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-21384/): Null characters not escaped in shescape (medium 6.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2022-24725 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-24725 is a medium-severity vulnerability in ericcornelissen shescape, published on 3 Mar 2022. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2022-24725 exists.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- shescape (npm): affected from 1.4.0; fixed in 1.5.1
- shescape (npm): affected from 1.4.0; fixed in 1.5.1

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-24725/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-24725/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-24725
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-24725
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-24725

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-24725/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.