CVE-2023-42261: Withdrawn Advisory Mobile Security Framework (MobSF) Vulnerable Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-cc8j-6phr-jv9x
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-276
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-42261 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) mobile security framework (mobsf) vulnerable vulnerability (CWE-276: Incorrect Default Permissions) affecting Withdrawn Advisory libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves mobile security framework (mobsf) vulnerable to insecure permissions. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.9.7.

CVE-2023-42261 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-42261
GHSA Identifier GHSA-cc8j-6phr-jv9x
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-276: Incorrect Default Permissions
Affected Product Withdrawn Advisory
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2023-42261

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Withdrawn Advisory dependencies to a patched release.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

mobsf fixed: 3.9.7 
pip install mobsf>=3.9.7
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 mobsf

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2023-42261, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show mobsf

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Withdrawn Advisory in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.9.7), your application is affected.

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

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-276: Incorrect Default Permissions, where during installation, installed file permissions are set to allow anyone to modify those files. In Withdrawn Advisory, 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

## Withdrawn Advisory This advisory has been withdrawn because the vendor's position is that authentication is intentionally not implemented because the product is not intended for an untrusted network environment. Use cases requiring authentication could, for example, use a reverse proxy server. ## Original Description Mobile Security Framework (MobSF) <=v3.7.8 Beta is vulnerable to Insecure Permissions.

CVE-2023-42261 Affected Withdrawn Advisory Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.9.7
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
mobsf
pypi/mobsf
PyPI
< 3.9.7
3.9.7

References

NVD — CVE-2023-42261 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-42261
Withdrawn Advisory Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/MobSF/Mobile-Security-Framework-MobSF/issues/1211
Withdrawn Advisory Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/MobSF/Mobile-Security-Framework-MobSF/issues/748
Withdrawn Advisory Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/MobSF/Mobile-Security-Framework-MobSF
Withdrawn Advisory Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/MobSF/Mobile-Security-Framework-MobSF/blob/abb47659a19ac772765934f184c65fe16cb3bee7/docker-compose.yml#L30-L31
Withdrawn Advisory Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/mobsf/PYSEC-2023-310.yaml
Withdrawn Advisory Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/woshinibaba222/hack16/blob/main/Unauthorized%20Access%20to%20MobSF.md

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-42261?
CVE-2023-42261 is a security vulnerability in Withdrawn Advisory involving Mobile Security Framework (MobSF) Vulnerable to Insecure Permissions under CWE-276: Incorrect Default Permissions.
Which Withdrawn Advisory versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.9.7 across affected packages: mobsf.
What version fixes CVE-2023-42261?
Upgrading to 3.9.7 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is mobsf affected?
Yes, mobsf is affected in releases prior to 3.9.7. Upgrade your dependency to 3.9.7 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-42261?
CVE-2023-42261 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-42261?
CVE-2023-42261 is classified under CWE-276: Incorrect Default Permissions (During installation, installed file permissions are set to allow anyone to modify those files.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2023-42261?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show mobsf'. 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-cc8j-6phr-jv9x",
  "modified" : "2025-04-10T14:29:56Z",
  "published" : "2023-09-22T00:30:29Z",
  "withdrawn" : "2025-04-10T14:29:56Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-42261" ],
  "summary" : "Withdrawn Advisory: Mobile Security Framework (MobSF) Vulnerable to Insecure Permissions",
  "details" : "## Withdrawn Advisory\nThis advisory has been withdrawn because the vendor's position is that authentication is intentionally not implemented because the product is not intended for an untrusted network environment. Use cases requiring authentication could, for example, use a reverse proxy server.\n\n## Original Description\nMobile Security Framework (MobSF) <=v3.7.8 Beta is vulnerable to Insecure Permissions.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "mobsf"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.9.7"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-42261"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/MobSF/Mobile-Security-Framework-MobSF/issues/1211"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/MobSF/Mobile-Security-Framework-MobSF/issues/748"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/MobSF/Mobile-Security-Framework-MobSF"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/MobSF/Mobile-Security-Framework-MobSF/blob/abb47659a19ac772765934f184c65fe16cb3bee7/docker-compose.yml#L30-L31"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/mobsf/PYSEC-2023-310.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/woshinibaba222/hack16/blob/main/Unauthorized%20Access%20to%20MobSF.md"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-276" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2025-04-10T14:27:17Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-09-21T22:15:11Z"
  }
}