CVE-2020-13948: Apache superset Apache Superset OS Command Injection Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-cj7g-h7rf-h8j9
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CVSS 8.8
CWE-78
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-13948 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.8) apache superset os command injection vulnerability (CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')) affecting Apache superset libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves apache superset os command injection. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.37.1.

CVE-2020-13948 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-13948
GHSA Identifier GHSA-cj7g-h7rf-h8j9
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.8
CWE Classification CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')
Affected Product Apache superset
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:3.1/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-2020-13948

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

apache-superset fixed: 0.37.1 
pip install apache-superset>=0.37.1
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 apache-superset

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2020-13948, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show apache-superset

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Apache superset in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.37.1), your application is affected.

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

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of an os command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended os command when it is sent to a downstream component. In Apache superset, 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

While investigating a bug report on Apache Superset, it was determined that an authenticated user could craft requests via a number of templated text fields in the product that would allow arbitrary access to Python’s `os` package in the web application process in versions < 0.37.1. It was thus possible for an authenticated user to list and access files, environment variables, and process information. Additionally it was possible to set environment variables for the current process, create and update files in folders writable by the web process, and execute arbitrary programs accessible by the web process. All other operations available to the `os` package in Python were also available, even if not explicitly enumerated in this CVE.

CVE-2020-13948 Affected Apache superset Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.37.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
apache-superset
pypi/apache-superset
PyPI
< 0.37.1
0.37.1

References

NVD — CVE-2020-13948 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-13948
Apache superset Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/apache/superset/pull/11617#issuecomment-726204489
Apache superset Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/apache/superset
Apache superset Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/apache-superset/PYSEC-2020-222.yaml
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r0e35c7... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r0e35c7c5672a6146b962840be5c1a7b7461c05a71cd7ecc62774d155@%3Cnotifications.superset.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r4fc711... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r4fc7115f6e63ac255c48fc68c0da592df55fe4be47cae6378d39ac22@%3Cnotifications.superset.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rdeee06... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rdeee068ac1e0c43bd5b69830240f30598df15a2ef9f7998c7b29131e%40%3Cdev.superset.apache.org%3E

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-13948?
CVE-2020-13948 is a security vulnerability in Apache superset involving Apache Superset OS Command Injection under CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection').
Which Apache superset versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.37.1 across affected packages: apache-superset.
What version fixes CVE-2020-13948?
Upgrading to 0.37.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is apache-superset affected?
Yes, apache-superset is affected in releases prior to 0.37.1. Upgrade your dependency to 0.37.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-13948?
CVE-2020-13948 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-13948?
CVE-2020-13948 is classified under CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') (The product constructs all or part of an OS command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended OS command when it is sent to a downstream component.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2020-13948?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show apache-superset'. 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-cj7g-h7rf-h8j9",
  "modified" : "2024-09-04T19:21:35Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T22:28:32Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-13948" ],
  "summary" : "Apache Superset OS Command Injection",
  "details" : "While investigating a bug report on Apache Superset, it was determined that an authenticated user could craft requests via a number of templated text fields in the product that would allow arbitrary access to Python’s `os` package in the web application process in versions < 0.37.1. It was thus possible for an authenticated user to list and access files, environment variables, and process information. Additionally it was possible to set environment variables for the current process, create and update files in folders writable by the web process, and execute arbitrary programs accessible by the web process. All other operations available to the `os` package in Python were also available, even if not explicitly enumerated in this CVE.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "apache-superset"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.37.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-13948"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/superset/pull/11617#issuecomment-726204489"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/superset"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/apache-superset/PYSEC-2020-222.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r0e35c7c5672a6146b962840be5c1a7b7461c05a71cd7ecc62774d155@%3Cnotifications.superset.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r4fc7115f6e63ac255c48fc68c0da592df55fe4be47cae6378d39ac22@%3Cnotifications.superset.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rdeee068ac1e0c43bd5b69830240f30598df15a2ef9f7998c7b29131e%40%3Cdev.superset.apache.org%3E"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-78" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-02-23T21:10:24Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-09-17T13:15:00Z"
  }
}