CVE-2017-17516: Rtv Reddit Terminal Viewer (RTV) Vulnerable Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-336h-q7mh-8vf8
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CVSS 8.8
CWE-74
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2017-17516 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.8) reddit terminal viewer (rtv) vulnerable vulnerability (CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')) affecting Rtv libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves reddit terminal viewer (rtv) vulnerable to argument injection attacks. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2017-17516 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2017-17516
GHSA Identifier GHSA-336h-q7mh-8vf8
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.8
CWE Classification CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')
Affected Product Rtv
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2017-17516

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Rtv dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

rtv fixed: Latest secure release 
pip install rtv>=Latest secure release
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

pip show rtv

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2017-17516, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show rtv

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Rtv in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), your application is affected.

Note: The pip show rtv command checks currently installed packages in your active Python environment.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of a command, data structure, or record using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify how it is parsed or interpreted when it is sent to a downstream component. In Rtv, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

scripts/inspect_webbrowser.py in Reddit Terminal Viewer (RTV) 1.19.0 does not validate strings before launching the program specified by the BROWSER environment variable, which might allow remote attackers to conduct argument-injection attacks via a crafted URL.

CVE-2017-17516 Affected Rtv Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
rtv
pypi/rtv
PyPI
≤ 1.19.0

References

NVD — CVE-2017-17516 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-17516
Rtv Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/michael-lazar/rtv/issues/531
Rtv Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/michael-lazar/rtv
Rtv Security Information SECURITY
https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2017-17516

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2017-17516?
CVE-2017-17516 is a security vulnerability in Rtv involving Reddit Terminal Viewer (RTV) vulnerable to argument injection attacks under CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection').
Which Rtv versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: rtv.
What version fixes CVE-2017-17516?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is rtv affected?
Yes, rtv is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2017-17516?
CVE-2017-17516 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2017-17516?
CVE-2017-17516 is classified under CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection') (The product constructs all or part of a command, data structure, or record using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify how it is parsed or interpreted when it is sent to a downstream component.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2017-17516?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show rtv'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-336h-q7mh-8vf8",
  "modified" : "2024-04-22T22:43:59Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-14T04:01:38Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2017-17516" ],
  "summary" : "Reddit Terminal Viewer (RTV) vulnerable to argument injection attacks",
  "details" : "scripts/inspect_webbrowser.py in Reddit Terminal Viewer (RTV) 1.19.0 does not validate strings before launching the program specified by the BROWSER environment variable, which might allow remote attackers to conduct argument-injection attacks via a crafted URL.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "rtv"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "1.19.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-17516"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/michael-lazar/rtv/issues/531"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/michael-lazar/rtv"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2017-17516"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-74" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-04-22T22:43:59Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2017-12-14T16:29:00Z"
  }
}