CVE-2015-2241: Django Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-6565-fg86-6jcx
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CVSS 6.1
CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2015-2241 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.1) cross-site scripting vulnerability (CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')) affecting Django libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves django cross-site scripting vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.7.6, 1.8b2.

CVE-2015-2241 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2015-2241
GHSA Identifier GHSA-6565-fg86-6jcx
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 Django
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-2015-2241

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: 1.7.6 
pip install Django>=1.7.6
Django fixed: 1.8b2 
pip install Django>=1.8b2
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-2015-2241, 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 1.7.6), 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-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 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

Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the contents function in `admin/helpers.py` in Django before 1.7.6 and 1.8 before 1.8b2 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a model attribute in `ModelAdmin.readonly_fields`, as demonstrated by an `@property`.

CVE-2015-2241 Affected Django Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.7.61.8b2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
Django
pypi/Django
PyPI
< 1.7.6
1.7.6
Django
pypi/Django
PyPI
≥ 1.8a1
< 1.8b2
1.8b2

References

NVD — CVE-2015-2241 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-2241
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/django/django/commit/2654e1b93923bac55f12b4e66c5e39b16695ace5
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/django/django/commit/82c9169077a066995e3b00aac551bf1c8a89d98a
Django Security Information SECURITY
https://code.djangoproject.com/ticket/24461
Django Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/django/django
Django Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/django/PYSEC-2015-8.yaml
Django Security Information SECURITY
https://web.archive.org/web/20150523054951/http://www.mandriva.com/en/support/security/advisories/advisory/MDVSA-2015:109/?name=MDVSA-2015:109
Django Security Information SECURITY
https://web.archive.org/web/20171112005349/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/73095
Django Release RELEASE
https://www.djangoproject.com/weblog/2015/mar/09/security-releases
Django Security Information SECURITY
http://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2015:109

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2015-2241?
CVE-2015-2241 is a security vulnerability in Django involving Django Cross-site Scripting Vulnerability under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting').
Which Django versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.7.6, 1.8b2 across affected packages: Django.
What version fixes CVE-2015-2241?
Upgrading to 1.7.6, 1.8b2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is Django affected?
Yes, Django is affected in releases prior to 1.7.6, 1.8b2. Upgrade your dependency to 1.7.6, 1.8b2 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2015-2241?
CVE-2015-2241 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-2015-2241?
CVE-2015-2241 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-2015-2241?
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-6565-fg86-6jcx",
  "modified" : "2024-09-18T14:38:33Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-17T03:34:12Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2015-2241" ],
  "summary" : "Django Cross-site Scripting Vulnerability",
  "details" : "Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the contents function in `admin/helpers.py` in Django before 1.7.6 and 1.8 before 1.8b2 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a model attribute in `ModelAdmin.readonly_fields`, as demonstrated by an `@property`.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:L/SI:L/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "Django"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.7.6"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "Django"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "1.8a1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.8b2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-2241"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/django/django/commit/2654e1b93923bac55f12b4e66c5e39b16695ace5"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/django/django/commit/82c9169077a066995e3b00aac551bf1c8a89d98a"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://code.djangoproject.com/ticket/24461"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/django/django"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/django/PYSEC-2015-8.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20150523054951/http://www.mandriva.com/en/support/security/advisories/advisory/MDVSA-2015:109/?name=MDVSA-2015:109"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20171112005349/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/73095"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.djangoproject.com/weblog/2015/mar/09/security-releases"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2015:109"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-08-04T23:14:41Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2015-03-12T14:59:00Z"
  }
}