CVE-2023-42658
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedArchive command in Chef InSpec prior to 4.56.58 and 5.22.29 allow local command execution via maliciously crafted profile.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceThe archive command in Chef InSpec versions prior to 4.56.58 and 5.22.29 fails to properly sanitize input when processing a maliciously crafted profile, allowing local command execution. This command injection vulnerability is triggered when InSpec processes a specially crafted profile archive.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data< 4.56.58>= 5.0.0, < 5.22.29CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Determine installed Chef InSpec versionRun `inspec --version` or check the InSpec gem version with `gem list inspec`Affected if The version output is less than 4.56.58, or is 5.0.0 to less than 5.22.29
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Identify if the archive command has been executedReview shell history, logs, or automation scripts for use of `inspec archive` or the InSpec archive API functionalityAffected if The archive command has been run to process profile archives
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Locate processed profile archivesSearch for .tar.gz or .zip profile archive files in working directories, CI/CD artifacts, or downloaded locationsAffected if There are profile archives that were or could be processed by InSpec, especially from untrusted sources
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Check for unexpected shell behavior after archive operationsReview for any anomalous process spawns, unexpected file creations, or shell executions that occurred during or after InSpec archive command usageAffected if Unusual command execution or system behavior occurred in conjunction with InSpec archive processing
You are affected if your Chef InSpec version falls within the vulnerable ranges AND you have used the archive command to process profile archives, particularly from untrusted sources.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scoped4.56.585.22.29
Upgrade Chef InSpec to version 4.56.58 or 5.22.29 or later. Additionally, only process profile archives from trusted sources and avoid running the archive command on untrusted profiles.
Upgrade to InSpec 4.56.58 (4.x branch) or InSpec 5.22.29 (5.x branch)
- Check current InSpec version using: inspec --version
- For InSpec 4.x users: Upgrade to version 4.56.58 or later using: gem install inspec --version '~> 4.56.58'
- For InSpec 5.x users: Upgrade to version 5.22.29 or later using: gem install inspec --version '~> 5.22.29'
- Alternatively, update via package manager: brew upgrade inspec (macOS) or use appropriate system package manager
- Verify the upgrade was successful by running: inspec --version
- Confirm the installed version is >= 4.56.58 or >= 5.22.29 depending on your major version branch
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-42658 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-42658 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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