CVE-2015-6938: Notebook Improper Neutralization Of Input During Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-4vwq-x64q-j4cj
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CVSS 6.1
CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2015-6938 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.1) improper neutralization of input during vulnerability (CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')) affecting Notebook libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves improper neutralization of input during web page generation in jupyter notebook. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.0.5, 3.2.2.

CVE-2015-6938 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2015-6938
GHSA Identifier GHSA-4vwq-x64q-j4cj
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.1
CWE Classification CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Affected Product Notebook
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.1

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N).

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

How to Fix CVE-2015-6938

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

notebook fixed: 4.0.5 
pip install notebook>=4.0.5
ipython fixed: 3.2.2 
pip install ipython>=3.2.2
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 notebook

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2015-6938, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show notebook

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Notebook in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 4.0.5), your application is affected.

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

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting'), where the product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users. In Notebook, 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

Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the file browser in notebook/notebookapp.py in IPython Notebook before 3.2.2 and Jupyter Notebook 4.0.x before 4.0.5 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a folder name. NOTE: this was originally reported as a cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability, but this may be inaccurate.

CVE-2015-6938 Affected Notebook Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.0.53.2.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
notebook
pypi/notebook
PyPI
≥ 4.0.0
< 4.0.5
4.0.5
ipython
pypi/ipython
PyPI
< 3.2.2
3.2.2

References

NVD — CVE-2015-6938 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-6938
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ipython/ipython/commit/3ab41641cf6fce3860c73d5cf4645aa12e1e5892
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/jupyter/notebook/commit/35f32dd2da804d108a3a3585b69ec3295b2677ed
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/jupyter/notebook/commit/dd9876381f0ef09873d8c5f6f2063269172331e3
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1259405
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-4vwq-x64q-j4cj
Notebook Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ipython/PYSEC-2015-24.yaml
Notebook Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/notebook/PYSEC-2015-26.yaml
lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-a... WEB
http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2015-September/166460.html
lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-a... WEB
http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2015-September/166471.html
lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-a... WEB
http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2015-September/167670.html
lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/20... WEB
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2015-10/msg00016.html
seclists.org/oss-sec/2015/q3/474 WEB
http://seclists.org/oss-sec/2015/q3/474
seclists.org/oss-sec/2015/q3/544 WEB
http://seclists.org/oss-sec/2015/q3/544

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2015-6938?
CVE-2015-6938 is a security vulnerability in Notebook involving Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation in Jupyter Notebook under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting').
Which Notebook versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.0.5, 3.2.2 across affected packages: notebook, ipython.
What version fixes CVE-2015-6938?
Upgrading to 4.0.5, 3.2.2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is notebook affected?
Yes, notebook is affected in releases prior to 4.0.5. Upgrade your dependency to 4.0.5 or later.
Is ipython affected?
Yes, ipython is affected in releases prior to 3.2.2. Upgrade your dependency to 3.2.2 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2015-6938?
CVE-2015-6938 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.1 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2015-6938?
CVE-2015-6938 is classified under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') (The product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2015-6938?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show notebook'. 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 
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  "id" : "GHSA-4vwq-x64q-j4cj",
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  "published" : "2022-05-14T02:04:49Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2015-6938" ],
  "summary" : "Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation in Jupyter Notebook",
  "details" : "Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the file browser in notebook/notebookapp.py in IPython Notebook before 3.2.2 and Jupyter Notebook 4.0.x before 4.0.5 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a folder name.  NOTE: this was originally reported as a cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability, but this may be inaccurate.",
  "severity" : [ {
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  }, {
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  }, {
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    "url" : "https://github.com/jupyter/notebook/commit/dd9876381f0ef09873d8c5f6f2063269172331e3"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1259405"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
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  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ipython/PYSEC-2015-24.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/notebook/PYSEC-2015-26.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2015-September/166460.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2015-September/166471.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2015-September/167670.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2015-10/msg00016.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://seclists.org/oss-sec/2015/q3/474"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://seclists.org/oss-sec/2015/q3/544"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-07-06T20:10:16Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2015-09-21T19:59:00Z"
  }
}