CVE-2022-38792: Exotel Exotel-py Includes Code Execution Backdoor Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-cv6j-9835-p7fh
Share
CVSS 9.8
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2022-38792 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) exotel-py includes code execution backdoor vulnerability (General Security Weakness) affecting Exotel libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves exotel-py includes code execution backdoor inserted by a third party. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2022-38792 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2022-38792
GHSA Identifier GHSA-cv6j-9835-p7fh
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification General Security Weakness
Affected Product Exotel
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

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:H/A:H).

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 High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2022-38792

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

exotel fixed: Latest secure release 
pip install exotel>=Latest secure release
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 exotel

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2022-38792, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show exotel

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

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

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under General Security Weakness. In Exotel, 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

The exotel (aka exotel-py) package in PyPI as of 0.1.6 includes a code execution backdoor inserted by a third party. Users should downgrade to version 0.1.5 to avoid the problem.

CVE-2022-38792 Affected Exotel Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
exotel
pypi/exotel
PyPI
0.1.6
All 1 versions
0.1.6
None specified

References

NVD — CVE-2022-38792 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-38792
Exotel Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/sarathsp06/exotel-py/issues/10
Exotel Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/jertel/elastalert2/pull/931
Exotel Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/exotel/PYSEC-2022-43134.yaml
Exotel Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/sarathsp06/exotel-py
inspector.pypi.io/project/exotel/0.1.... WEB
https://inspector.pypi.io/project/exotel/0.1.6/packages/8b/ed/9ebeb34d4adb9b01151d73ccfde9c1cb2d629c3b146953c8727559a65446/exotel-0.1.6.tar.gz/exotel-0.1.6/setup.py
pypi.org/project/exotel WEB
https://pypi.org/project/exotel

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-38792?
CVE-2022-38792 is a security vulnerability in Exotel involving exotel-py includes code execution backdoor inserted by a third party under General Security Weakness.
Which Exotel versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: exotel.
What version fixes CVE-2022-38792?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is exotel affected?
Yes, exotel is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2022-38792?
CVE-2022-38792 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2022-38792?
CVE-2022-38792 is classified under General Security Weakness.
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2022-38792?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show exotel'. 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-cv6j-9835-p7fh",
  "modified" : "2024-11-26T16:11:48Z",
  "published" : "2022-08-28T00:00:26Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2022-38792" ],
  "summary" : "exotel-py includes code execution backdoor inserted by a third party",
  "details" : "The exotel (aka exotel-py) package in PyPI as of 0.1.6 includes a code execution backdoor inserted by a third party. Users should downgrade to version 0.1.5 to avoid the problem.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "exotel"
    },
    "versions" : [ "0.1.6" ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-38792"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/sarathsp06/exotel-py/issues/10"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/jertel/elastalert2/pull/931"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/exotel/PYSEC-2022-43134.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/sarathsp06/exotel-py"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://inspector.pypi.io/project/exotel/0.1.6/packages/8b/ed/9ebeb34d4adb9b01151d73ccfde9c1cb2d629c3b146953c8727559a65446/exotel-0.1.6.tar.gz/exotel-0.1.6/setup.py"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://pypi.org/project/exotel"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-09-20T17:10:15Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-08-27T20:15:00Z"
  }
}