CVE-2020-9402: Django SQL Injection Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-3gh2-xw74-jmcw
Share
CVSS 8.8
CWE-89
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-9402 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.8) sql injection vulnerability (CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')) affecting Django libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves sql injection in django. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.11.29, 2.2.11, 3.0.4.

CVE-2020-9402 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-9402
GHSA Identifier GHSA-3gh2-xw74-jmcw
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.8
CWE Classification CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')
Affected Product Django
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:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

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

How to Fix CVE-2020-9402

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

Django fixed: 1.11.29 
pip install Django>=1.11.29
Django fixed: 2.2.11 
pip install Django>=2.2.11
Django fixed: 3.0.4 
pip install Django>=3.0.4
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 Django

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2020-9402, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show Django

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Django in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.11.29), your application is affected.

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

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of an sql command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended sql command when it is sent to a downstream component. without sufficient removal or quoting of sql syntax in user-controllable inputs, the generated sql query can cause those inputs to be interpreted as sql instead of ordinary user data. In Django, 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

Django 1.11 before 1.11.29, 2.2 before 2.2.11, and 3.0 before 3.0.4 allows SQL Injection if untrusted data is used as a tolerance parameter in GIS functions and aggregates on Oracle. By passing a suitably crafted tolerance to GIS functions and aggregates on Oracle, it was possible to break escaping and inject malicious SQL.

CVE-2020-9402 Affected Django Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.11.292.2.113.0.4
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
Django
pypi/Django
PyPI
≥ 1.11
< 1.11.29
1.11.29
Django
pypi/Django
PyPI
≥ 2.2
< 2.2.11
2.2.11
Django
pypi/Django
PyPI
≥ 3.0
< 3.0.4
3.0.4

References

NVD — CVE-2020-9402 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-9402
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/django/django/commit/6695d29b1c1ce979725816295a26ecc64ae0e927
Django Release RELEASE
https://www.djangoproject.com/weblog/2020/mar/04/security-releases
Django Security Information SECURITY
https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4705
usn.ubuntu.com/4296-1 WEB
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4296-1
Django Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20200327-0004
Django Security Information SECURITY
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202004-17
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/UZMN2NKAGTFE3YKMNM2JVJG7R2W7LLHY
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/4A2AP4T7RKPBCLTI2NNQG3T6MINDUUMZ
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/UZMN2NKAGTFE3YKMNM2JVJG7R2W7LLHY
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/4A2AP4T7RKPBCLTI2NNQG3T6MINDUUMZ
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce... WEB
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/05/msg00035.html
groups.google.com/forum/ WEB
https://groups.google.com/forum/#%21topic/django-announce/fLUh_pOaKrY
groups.google.com/forum/ WEB
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/django-announce/fLUh_pOaKrY
Django Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/django/PYSEC-2020-36.yaml
Django Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/django/PYSEC-2020-345.yaml
Django Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/django/django
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-3gh2-xw74-jmcw
Django Release RELEASE
https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/3.0/releases/security

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-9402?
CVE-2020-9402 is a security vulnerability in Django involving SQL injection in Django under CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection').
Which Django versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.11.29, 2.2.11, 3.0.4 across affected packages: Django.
What version fixes CVE-2020-9402?
Upgrading to 1.11.29, 2.2.11, 3.0.4 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is Django affected?
Yes, Django is affected in releases prior to 1.11.29, 2.2.11, 3.0.4. Upgrade your dependency to 1.11.29, 2.2.11, 3.0.4 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-9402?
CVE-2020-9402 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-9402?
CVE-2020-9402 is classified under CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') (The product constructs all or part of an SQL command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended SQL command when it is sent to a downstream component. Without sufficient removal or quoting of SQL syntax in user-controllable inputs, the generated SQL query can cause those inputs to be interpreted as SQL instead of ordinary user data.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2020-9402?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show Django'. 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-3gh2-xw74-jmcw",
  "modified" : "2026-06-08T20:17:40Z",
  "published" : "2020-06-05T14:52:07Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-9402" ],
  "summary" : "SQL injection in Django",
  "details" : "Django 1.11 before 1.11.29, 2.2 before 2.2.11, and 3.0 before 3.0.4 allows SQL Injection if untrusted data is used as a tolerance parameter in GIS functions and aggregates on Oracle. By passing a suitably crafted tolerance to GIS functions and aggregates on Oracle, it was possible to break escaping and inject malicious SQL.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "Django"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "1.11"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.11.29"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "Django"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.2"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.2.11"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "Django"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.0.4"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-9402"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/django/django/commit/6695d29b1c1ce979725816295a26ecc64ae0e927"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.djangoproject.com/weblog/2020/mar/04/security-releases"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4705"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://usn.ubuntu.com/4296-1"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20200327-0004"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202004-17"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/UZMN2NKAGTFE3YKMNM2JVJG7R2W7LLHY"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/4A2AP4T7RKPBCLTI2NNQG3T6MINDUUMZ"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/UZMN2NKAGTFE3YKMNM2JVJG7R2W7LLHY"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/4A2AP4T7RKPBCLTI2NNQG3T6MINDUUMZ"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/05/msg00035.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://groups.google.com/forum/#%21topic/django-announce/fLUh_pOaKrY"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/django-announce/fLUh_pOaKrY"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/django/PYSEC-2020-36.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/django/PYSEC-2020-345.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/django/django"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-3gh2-xw74-jmcw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/3.0/releases/security"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-89" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-04T18:32:29Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-03-05T15:15:00Z"
  }
}