CVE-2023-6021: Ray Path Traversal Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-3pww-qvr8-6mhp
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CVSS 9.3
CWE-29 CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-6021 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.3) path traversal vulnerability (CWE-29: Path Traversal: '\..\filename') affecting Ray libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves ray path traversal vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.8.1.

CVE-2023-6021 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-6021
GHSA Identifier GHSA-3pww-qvr8-6mhp
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.3
CWE Classification CWE-29: Path Traversal: '\..\filename'
Affected Product Ray
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.3

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:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N).

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

How to Fix CVE-2023-6021

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

ray fixed: 2.8.1 
pip install ray>=2.8.1
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 ray

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2023-6021, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show ray

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Ray in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.8.1), your application is affected.

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

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-29: Path Traversal: '\..\filename', where the product uses external input to construct a pathname that should be within a restricted directory, but it does not properly neutralize '\..\filename' (leading backslash dot dot) sequences that can resolve to a location that is outside of that directory. In Ray, 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

LFI in Ray's log API endpoint allows attackers to read any file on the server without authentication. The issue is fixed in version 2.8.1+. Ray maintainers response can be found here: https://www.anyscale.com/blog/update-on-ray-cves-cve-2023-6019-cve-2023-6020-cve-2023-6021-cve-2023-48022-cve-2023-48023

CVE-2023-6021 Affected Ray Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.8.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
ray
pypi/ray
PyPI
< 2.8.1
2.8.1

References

NVD — CVE-2023-6021 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-6021
Ray Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ray-project/ray
Ray Release RELEASE
https://github.com/ray-project/ray/releases/tag/ray-2.8.1
huntr.com/bounties/5039c045-f... WEB
https://huntr.com/bounties/5039c045-f986-4cbc-81ac-370fe4b0d3f8
www.anyscale.com/blog/update-on-ray-... WEB
https://www.anyscale.com/blog/update-on-ray-cves-cve-2023-6019-cve-2023-6020-cve-2023-6021-cve-2023-48022-cve-2023-48023

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-6021?
CVE-2023-6021 is a security vulnerability in Ray involving Ray Path Traversal vulnerability under CWE-29: Path Traversal: '\..\filename'.
Which Ray versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.8.1 across affected packages: ray.
What version fixes CVE-2023-6021?
Upgrading to 2.8.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is ray affected?
Yes, ray is affected in releases prior to 2.8.1. Upgrade your dependency to 2.8.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-6021?
CVE-2023-6021 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.3 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-6021?
CVE-2023-6021 is classified under CWE-29: Path Traversal: '\..\filename' (The product uses external input to construct a pathname that should be within a restricted directory, but it does not properly neutralize '\..\filename' (leading backslash dot dot) sequences that can resolve to a location that is outside of that directory.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2023-6021?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show ray'. 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-3pww-qvr8-6mhp",
  "modified" : "2025-01-09T23:39:59Z",
  "published" : "2023-11-16T18:30:31Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-6021" ],
  "summary" : "Ray Path Traversal vulnerability",
  "details" : "LFI in Ray's log API endpoint allows attackers to read any file on the server without authentication. The issue is fixed in version 2.8.1+. Ray maintainers response can be found here: https://www.anyscale.com/blog/update-on-ray-cves-cve-2023-6019-cve-2023-6020-cve-2023-6021-cve-2023-48022-cve-2023-48023",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "ray"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.8.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-6021"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ray-project/ray"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ray-project/ray/releases/tag/ray-2.8.1"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://huntr.com/bounties/5039c045-f986-4cbc-81ac-370fe4b0d3f8"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.anyscale.com/blog/update-on-ray-cves-cve-2023-6019-cve-2023-6020-cve-2023-6021-cve-2023-48022-cve-2023-48023"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22", "CWE-29" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-11-27T23:20:39Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-11-16T17:15:09Z"
  }
}