CVE-2017-15914: Borgbackup Borg Improper Access Control Vulnerability Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-8q8v-28rm-qw4w
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CVSS 8.8
CWE-284
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2017-15914 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.8) borg improper access control vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-284: Improper Access Control) affecting Borgbackup libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves borg improper access control vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.1.3.

CVE-2017-15914 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2017-15914
GHSA Identifier GHSA-8q8v-28rm-qw4w
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.8
CWE Classification CWE-284: Improper Access Control
Affected Product Borgbackup
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: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-2017-15914

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

borgbackup fixed: 1.1.3 
pip install borgbackup>=1.1.3
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 borgbackup

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2017-15914, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show borgbackup

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Borgbackup in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.1.3), your application is affected.

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

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-284: Improper Access Control, where the product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor. In Borgbackup, 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

Incorrect implementation of access controls allows remote users to override repository restrictions in Borg servers 1.1.x before 1.1.3.

CVE-2017-15914 Affected Borgbackup Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.1.3
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
borgbackup
pypi/borgbackup
PyPI
≥ 1.1.0b1
< 1.1.3
1.1.3

References

NVD — CVE-2017-15914 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-15914
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/borgbackup/borg/commit/75854c1243b29ec5558be6fdefe365cd438abb4c
Borgbackup Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/borgbackup/borg
Borgbackup Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/borgbackup/PYSEC-2018-105.yaml
Borgbackup Security Information SECURITY
http://borgbackup.readthedocs.io/en/stable/changes.html#version-1-1-3-2017-11-27

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2017-15914?
CVE-2017-15914 is a security vulnerability in Borgbackup involving Borg Improper Access Control vulnerability under CWE-284: Improper Access Control.
Which Borgbackup versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.1.3 across affected packages: borgbackup.
What version fixes CVE-2017-15914?
Upgrading to 1.1.3 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is borgbackup affected?
Yes, borgbackup is affected in releases prior to 1.1.3. Upgrade your dependency to 1.1.3 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2017-15914?
CVE-2017-15914 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2017-15914?
CVE-2017-15914 is classified under CWE-284: Improper Access Control (The product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2017-15914?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show borgbackup'. 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-8q8v-28rm-qw4w",
  "modified" : "2024-09-04T20:25:27Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-13T01:44:03Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2017-15914" ],
  "summary" : "Borg Improper Access Control vulnerability",
  "details" : "Incorrect implementation of access controls allows remote users to override repository restrictions in Borg servers 1.1.x before 1.1.3.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "borgbackup"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "1.1.0b1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.1.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-15914"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/borgbackup/borg/commit/75854c1243b29ec5558be6fdefe365cd438abb4c"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/borgbackup/borg"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/borgbackup/PYSEC-2018-105.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://borgbackup.readthedocs.io/en/stable/changes.html#version-1-1-3-2017-11-27"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-284" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-04-29T14:26:06Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2018-02-08T23:29:00Z"
  }
}