CVE-2020-14942: Tendenci Deserialization Of Untrusted Data Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-jqmc-fxxp-r589
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-502
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-14942 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) deserialization of untrusted data vulnerability (CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data) affecting Tendenci libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves deserialization of untrusted data in tendenci. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 12.0.11.

CVE-2020-14942 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-14942
GHSA Identifier GHSA-jqmc-fxxp-r589
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data
Affected Product Tendenci
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-2020-14942

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

tendenci fixed: 12.0.11 
pip install tendenci>=12.0.11
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 tendenci

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2020-14942, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show tendenci

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Tendenci in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 12.0.11), your application is affected.

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

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data, where the product deserializes untrusted data without sufficiently ensuring that the resulting data will be valid. In Tendenci, 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

Tendenci 12.0.10 allows unrestricted deserialization in apps\helpdesk\views\staff.py.

CVE-2020-14942 Affected Tendenci Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
12.0.11
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
tendenci
pypi/tendenci
PyPI
< 12.0.11
12.0.11

References

NVD — CVE-2020-14942 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-14942
Tendenci Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/tendenci/tendenci/issues/867
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-jqmc-fxxp-r589
Tendenci Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/tendenci/PYSEC-2020-112.yaml

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-14942?
CVE-2020-14942 is a security vulnerability in Tendenci involving Deserialization of Untrusted Data in Tendenci under CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data.
Which Tendenci versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 12.0.11 across affected packages: tendenci.
What version fixes CVE-2020-14942?
Upgrading to 12.0.11 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is tendenci affected?
Yes, tendenci is affected in releases prior to 12.0.11. Upgrade your dependency to 12.0.11 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-14942?
CVE-2020-14942 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-2020-14942?
CVE-2020-14942 is classified under CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data (The product deserializes untrusted data without sufficiently ensuring that the resulting data will be valid.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2020-14942?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show tendenci'. 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-jqmc-fxxp-r589",
  "modified" : "2024-10-28T14:01:52Z",
  "published" : "2021-06-18T18:31:05Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-14942" ],
  "summary" : "Deserialization of Untrusted Data in Tendenci",
  "details" : "Tendenci 12.0.10 allows unrestricted deserialization in apps\\helpdesk\\views\\staff.py.",
  "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" : "tendenci"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "12.0.11"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 12.0.10"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-14942"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/tendenci/tendenci/issues/867"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-jqmc-fxxp-r589"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/tendenci/PYSEC-2020-112.yaml"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-502" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-05-11T22:09:21Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-06-21T15:15:00Z"
  }
}