PM2 is susceptable to inspector port attack through SIGUSR1
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- JavaScript
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Description
By default Node.js will listen for SIGUSR1 and start its internal inspector when it is received. This creates a security risk on production systems as the inspector interface could be used to eavesdrop on RPC intractions, for example, and execute arbitrary code in general.
For example in our infrastructure we use a PM2 module to listen for apps starting/restarting and send them their 'secrets' (API/signing keys etc) through sendLineToStdin(). However if a bad actor would manage to get access to the system they could send SIGUSR1 to the PM2 God process, attach a debugger and set some breakpoints to intercept these transactions and therefore steal the secrets.
This can easily be prevented by registering a no-op handler for SIGUSR1, as is recommended in the Security best practices provided by the Node.js team: https://nodejs.org/en/learn/getting-started/security-best-practices.
Contributor guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
Start by locating the PM2 God process entry point and its signal handling, then review Node.js security guidance for SIGUSR1 and the inspector. Done means SIGUSR1 no longer enables the inspector in the PM2 God process, with regression coverage confirming the behavior.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- javascript, nodejs
- Domain
- cli, security
- Issue type
- Bug
- Difficulty
- 3/5
- Estimated time
- 1-2 days
- Activity status
- Stale
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 45/100