HighFile-scopeJavaScript / TypeScript Plug & play

Avoid building system commands from user input

Check for occurrences where user input is directly used to construct system commands. This introduces a risk of command injection. Suggest using parameterized queries or safe wrappers instead.

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Why this matters

Using user input to construct system commands can lead to security vulnerabilities, such as command injection. Always validate and sanitize inputs or avoid using them in system commands

Bad vs. good

Side-by-side examples engineers can pattern-match during review.

Avoid

const { spawn } = require("child_process");
const input = req.query.input;
const proc = spawn("/usr/bin/find", [input]); // Sensitive

Prefer

const { spawn } = require("child_process");
const input = req.query.input;
if (allowed.includes(input)) {
  const proc = spawn("/usr/bin/find", [input]);
}

More snippets

Bad

const { spawn } = require("child_process");
const input = req.query.input;
const proc = spawn("/usr/bin/find", [input]); // Sensitive

Good

const { spawn } = require("child_process");
const input = req.query.input;
if (allowed.includes(input)) {
  const proc = spawn("/usr/bin/find", [input]);
}

Related rules

From the same buckets as this rule.

Critical
Always sanitize user inputs
Check if user inputs are sanitized before being used in rendering or database queries. Unsanitized inputs can lead to injection vulnerabilities like XSS or SQL injection.
security-hardening
Critical
Always Verify Server Certificates in SSL/TLS Connections
Ensure that SSL/TLS certificate validation is always enabled to prevent Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attacks.
security-hardening
Critical
Avoid modifying built-in prototypes
Detect modifications to built-in prototypes. Modifying built-in objects can lead to compatibility issues and unexpected behavior. Recommend creating helper functions instead.
maintainabilitysecurity-hardening

Bad vs. good

Side-by-side examples engineers can pattern-match during review.

Avoid

const { spawn } = require("child_process");
const input = req.query.input;
const proc = spawn("/usr/bin/find", [input]); // Sensitive

Prefer

const { spawn } = require("child_process");
const input = req.query.input;
if (allowed.includes(input)) {
  const proc = spawn("/usr/bin/find", [input]);
}

More snippets

Bad

const { spawn } = require("child_process");
const input = req.query.input;
const proc = spawn("/usr/bin/find", [input]); // Sensitive

Good

const { spawn } = require("child_process");
const input = req.query.input;
if (allowed.includes(input)) {
  const proc = spawn("/usr/bin/find", [input]);
}

Related rules

From the same buckets as this rule.

Critical

Always sanitize user inputs

Check if user inputs are sanitized before being used in rendering or database queries. Unsanitized inputs can lead to injection vulnerabilities like XSS or SQL injection.

security-hardening

Critical

Always Verify Server Certificates in SSL/TLS Connections

Ensure that SSL/TLS certificate validation is always enabled to prevent Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attacks.

security-hardening

Critical

Avoid modifying built-in prototypes

Detect modifications to built-in prototypes. Modifying built-in objects can lead to compatibility issues and unexpected behavior. Recommend creating helper functions instead.

maintainabilitysecurity-hardening