CVE-2022-36069: Poetry Poetry Argument Injection Can Lead Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-9xgj-fcgf-x6mw
CVSS 7.3
CWE-88 CWE-94
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2022-36069 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.3) poetry argument injection can lead vulnerability (CWE-88: Improper Neutralization of Argument Delimiters in a Command ('Argument Injection')) affecting Poetry libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves poetry argument injection can lead to local code execution. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.1.9.

CVE-2022-36069 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2022-36069
GHSA Identifier GHSA-9xgj-fcgf-x6mw
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.3
CWE Classification CWE-88: Improper Neutralization of Argument Delimiters in a Command ('Argument Injection')
Affected Product Poetry
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.3

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

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2022-36069

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

poetry fixed: 1.1.9
pip install poetry>=1.1.9
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 poetry

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2022-36069, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show poetry

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Poetry in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.1.9), your application is affected.

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

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-88: Improper Neutralization of Argument Delimiters in a Command ('Argument Injection'), where the product constructs a string for a command to be executed by a separate component in another control sphere, but it does not properly delimit the intended arguments, options, or switches within that command string. In Poetry, 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

### Observation When handling dependencies that come from a Git repository instead of a registry, Poetry uses various commands, such as `git clone`. These commands are being constructed using user input (e.g. the repository URL). When building the commands, Poetry correctly avoids Command Injection vulnerabilities by passing an array of arguments instead of a command string. However, there is the possibility that a user input starts with a dash (`-`) and is therefore treated as an optional argument instead of a positional one. This can lead to Code Execution because some of the commands have options that can be leveraged to run arbitrary executables. To clone a repository, Poetry builds a git clone command, but fails to validate or sanitize the repository location properly: [`poetry/core/vcs/git.py`](https://github.com/python-poetry/poetry-core/blob/ad33bc2f92be03dc5b31a666664903c439fb1173/poetry/core/vcs/git.py#L207): ```python def clone(self, repository: str, dest: Path) -> str: return self.run("clone", "--recurse-submodules", repository, str(dest)) ``` Since this value comes from the `pyproject.toml` file, it can contain any character, including a leading dash. ### Impact This vulnerability can lead to Arbitrary Code Execution, which would lead to the takeover of the system. If a developer is exploited, the attacker could steal credentials or persist their access. If the exploit happens on a server, the attackers could use their access to attack other internal systems. Since this vulnerability requires a fair amount of user interaction, it is not as dangerous as a remotely exploitable one. However, it still puts developers at risk when dealing with untrusted files in a way they think is safe, because the exploit still works when the victim tries to make sure nothing can happen, e.g. by vetting any Git or Poetry config files that might be present in the directory. This kind of attack vector has been used in the past to target security researchers by sending them projects to collaborate on, so we believe that there is a non-negligible risk. ### Patches 1.1.8 || 1.2.0b1 ### Remediation Upgrade to version 1.1.9 || 1.2.0b1 ### References [Fix PR](https://github.com/python-poetry/poetry-core/pull/202) ### For more information If you have any questions or comments about this advisory, email us at [security@python-poetry.org](mailto:security@python-poetry.org)

CVE-2022-36069 Affected Poetry Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.1.9
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
poetry
PyPI
< 1.1.9
1.1.9

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-36069?
CVE-2022-36069 is a security vulnerability in Poetry involving Poetry Argument Injection can lead to Local Code Execution under CWE-88: Improper Neutralization of Argument Delimiters in a Command ('Argument Injection').
Which Poetry versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.1.9 across affected packages: poetry.
What version fixes CVE-2022-36069?
Upgrading to 1.1.9 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is poetry affected?
Yes, poetry is affected in releases prior to 1.1.9. Upgrade your dependency to 1.1.9 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2022-36069?
CVE-2022-36069 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.3 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2022-36069?
CVE-2022-36069 is classified under CWE-88: Improper Neutralization of Argument Delimiters in a Command ('Argument Injection') (The product constructs a string for a command to be executed by a separate component in another control sphere, but it does not properly delimit the intended arguments, options, or switches within that command string.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2022-36069?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show poetry'. 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
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-9xgj-fcgf-x6mw",
  "modified" : "2024-10-21T20:25:55Z",
  "published" : "2022-09-16T19:26:59Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2022-36069" ],
  "summary" : "Poetry Argument Injection can lead to Local Code Execution",
  "details" : "### Observation\n\nWhen handling dependencies that come from a Git repository instead of a registry, Poetry uses various commands, such as `git clone`. These commands are being constructed using user input (e.g. the repository URL). When building the commands, Poetry correctly avoids Command Injection vulnerabilities by passing an array of arguments instead of a command string. However, there is the possibility that a user input starts with a dash (`-`) and is therefore treated as an optional argument instead of a positional one. This can lead to Code Execution because some of the commands have options that can be leveraged to run arbitrary executables.\n\nTo clone a repository, Poetry builds a git clone command, but fails to validate or sanitize the repository location properly:\n\n[`poetry/core/vcs/git.py`](https://github.com/python-poetry/poetry-core/blob/ad33bc2f92be03dc5b31a666664903c439fb1173/poetry/core/vcs/git.py#L207):\n\n```python\ndef clone(self, repository: str, dest: Path) -> str:\n    return self.run(\"clone\", \"--recurse-submodules\", repository, str(dest))\n```\n\nSince this value comes from the `pyproject.toml` file, it can contain any character, including a leading dash.\n\n### Impact\n\nThis vulnerability can lead to Arbitrary Code Execution, which would lead to the takeover of the system. If a developer is exploited, the attacker could steal credentials or persist their access. If the exploit happens on a server, the attackers could use their access to attack other internal systems.\nSince this vulnerability requires a fair amount of user interaction, it is not as dangerous as a remotely exploitable one. However, it still puts developers at risk when dealing with untrusted files in a way they think is safe, because the exploit still works when the victim tries to make sure nothing can happen, e.g. by vetting any Git or Poetry config files that might be present in the directory.\nThis kind of attack vector has been used in the past to target security researchers by sending them projects to collaborate on, so we believe that there is a non-negligible risk.\n\n### Patches\n\n1.1.8 || 1.2.0b1\n\n### Remediation\n\nUpgrade to version 1.1.9 || 1.2.0b1\n\n### References\n\n[Fix PR](https://github.com/python-poetry/poetry-core/pull/202)\n\n### For more information\nIf you have any questions or comments about this advisory, email us at [security@python-poetry.org](mailto:security@python-poetry.org)\n",
  "severity" : [ {
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  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/python-poetry/poetry/security/advisories/GHSA-9xgj-fcgf-x6mw"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-36069"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/poetry/PYSEC-2022-266.yaml"
  }, {
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    "url" : "https://github.com/python-poetry/poetry"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/python-poetry/poetry/releases/tag/1.1.9"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/python-poetry/poetry/releases/tag/1.2.0b1"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.sonarsource.com/blog/securing-developer-tools-package-managers"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-88", "CWE-94" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-09-16T19:26:59Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-09-07T19:15:00Z"
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}