CVE-2025-55294: screenshot-desktop vulnerable to command Injection via `format` option

Should you act?

Critical and remotely reachable

No known exploitation yet, but it is network-reachable without credentials. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.

• No confirmed exploitation. It is not in CISA’s KEV catalog and CISA’s SSVC assessment records no known exploitation. That can change quickly after a public write-up; re-check if you are affected.
• EPSS 1.4%, percentile 73: FIRST’s model estimates a 1.4% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 73% of all scored CVEs (moderate). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
• Remotely reachable with no login and no user interaction. If the vulnerable service is exposed to the internet, prioritize it.
• Only applies if your dependency tree includes screenshot-desktop (npm) < 1.15.2, fixed in 1.15.2. Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.

What it is

screenshot-desktop allows capturing a screenshot of your local machine. This vulnerability is a command injection issue. When user-controlled input is passed into the format option of the screenshot function, it is interpolated into a shell command without sanitization. This results in arbitrary command execution with the privileges of the calling process. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.15.2.

From the GitHub advisory

Impact This vulnerability is a command injection issue. When user-controlled input is passed into the format option of the screenshot function, it is interpolated into a shell command without sanitization. An attacker can craft malicious input such as:

{ format: "; echo vulnerable > /tmp/hello;" }

This results in arbitrary command execution with the privileges of the calling process.

Who is impacted: Any application that accepts untrusted input and forwards it directly (or indirectly) into the format option is affected. If the library is used in a server-side context (e.g., API endpoints, web services), attackers may be able to exploit this remotely and without authentication, leading to full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

CVSS v3.1 Base Score: 9.8 (Critical) CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Weakness type: CWE-77.

Product: screenshot-desktop (npm) · Assigned by: GitHub_M · Published: 2025-08-19

Affected and fixed versions

Severity scores

• Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
• Attack complexity: low
• Privileges required: none (no login)
• User interaction: none
• Scope: unchanged

CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.

Exploitation and urgency

• CISA KEV: not listed (no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation known to CISA).
• CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation none, automatable no, technical impact total.
• FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 1.44% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 73.

Timeline

• 2025-08-19 — CVE record last updated
• 2025-08-19 — CVE record published by GitHub_M
• 2025-08-19 — GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-gjx4-2c7g-fm94 published (critical)

Sources and references

Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.

Vulnerability records

1. GitHub Advisory GHSA-gjx4-2c7g-fm94 github.com
2. CVE.org record CVE-2025-55294 cve.org
3. NVD entry CVE-2025-55294 nvd.nist.gov

Other references from the CVE record and advisory

1. github.com github.com
2. github.com github.com

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