CVE-2020-13388: Jw.util OS Command Injection Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-h72c-w3q3-55qq
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-78
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-13388 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) os command injection vulnerability (CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')) affecting Jw.util libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves os command injection in jw.util. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.3.

CVE-2020-13388 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-13388
GHSA Identifier GHSA-h72c-w3q3-55qq
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')
Affected Product Jw.util
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-2020-13388

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

jw.util fixed: 2.3 
pip install jw.util>=2.3
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 jw.util

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2020-13388, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show jw.util

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Jw.util in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.3), your application is affected.

Note: The pip show jw.util 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 Jw.util, 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

An exploitable vulnerability exists in the configuration-loading functionality of the jw.util package before 2.3 for Python. When loading a configuration with FromString or FromStream with YAML, one can execute arbitrary Python code, resulting in OS command execution, because safe_load is not used.

CVE-2020-13388 Affected Jw.util Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.3
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
jw.util
pypi/jw.util
PyPI
< 2.3
2.3

References

NVD — CVE-2020-13388 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-13388
joel-malwarebenchmark.github.io WEB
https://joel-malwarebenchmark.github.io
joel-malwarebenchmark.github.io/blog/2020/04/27/cve... WEB
https://joel-malwarebenchmark.github.io/blog/2020/04/27/cve-2020-13388-jw-util-vulnerability
Jw.util Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20200528-0002

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-13388?
CVE-2020-13388 is a security vulnerability in Jw.util involving OS Command Injection in jw.util under CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection').
Which Jw.util versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.3 across affected packages: jw.util.
What version fixes CVE-2020-13388?
Upgrading to 2.3 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is jw.util affected?
Yes, jw.util is affected in releases prior to 2.3. Upgrade your dependency to 2.3 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-13388?
CVE-2020-13388 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-2020-13388?
CVE-2020-13388 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-2020-13388?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show jw.util'. 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-h72c-w3q3-55qq",
  "modified" : "2023-03-03T23:20:29Z",
  "published" : "2021-06-02T21:45:12Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-13388" ],
  "summary" : "OS Command Injection in jw.util",
  "details" : "An exploitable vulnerability exists in the configuration-loading functionality of the jw.util package before 2.3 for Python. When loading a configuration with FromString or FromStream with YAML, one can execute arbitrary Python code, resulting in OS command execution, because safe_load is not used.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "jw.util"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-13388"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://joel-malwarebenchmark.github.io"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://joel-malwarebenchmark.github.io/blog/2020/04/27/cve-2020-13388-jw-util-vulnerability"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20200528-0002"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-78" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-05-14T20:59:12Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-05-22T17:15:00Z"
  }
}