CVE-2017-5524: Plone Plone Sandbox Escape Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-p5wr-vp8g-q5p4
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CVSS 4.3
CWE-134
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2017-5524 is a MODERATE (CVSS 4.3) plone sandbox escape vulnerability (CWE-134: Use of Externally-Controlled Format String) affecting Plone libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves plone sandbox escape. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.3.12, 5.1b1, 5.0.7.

CVE-2017-5524 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2017-5524
GHSA Identifier GHSA-p5wr-vp8g-q5p4
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 4.3
CWE Classification CWE-134: Use of Externally-Controlled Format String
Affected Product Plone
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 4.3

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N).

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 Low (C:L)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2017-5524

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

Plone fixed: 4.3.12 
pip install Plone>=4.3.12
Plone fixed: 5.1b1 
pip install Plone>=5.1b1
Plone fixed: 5.0.7 
pip install Plone>=5.0.7
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 Plone

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2017-5524, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show Plone

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Plone in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 4.3.12), your application is affected.

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

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-134: Use of Externally-Controlled Format String, where the product uses a function that accepts a format string as an argument, but the format string originates from an external source. In Plone, 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

Plone 4.x through 4.3.11 and 5.x through 5.0.6 allow remote attackers to bypass a sandbox protection mechanism and obtain sensitive information by leveraging the Python string format method.

CVE-2017-5524 Affected Plone Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.3.125.1b15.0.7
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
Plone
pypi/Plone
PyPI
≥ 4.0
< 4.3.12
4.3.12
Plone
pypi/Plone
PyPI
≥ 5.1a1
< 5.1b1
5.1b1
Plone
pypi/Plone
PyPI
≥ 5.0rc1
< 5.0.7
5.0.7

References

NVD — CVE-2017-5524 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-5524
Plone Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/plone/Products.CMFPlone/pull/1912
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/plone/Products.CMFPlone/commit/a7d47692058e10ce89968e7ca4dacbdf44fcad4f
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-p5wr-vp8g-q5p4
Plone Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/plone/PYSEC-2017-81.yaml
Plone Security Information SECURITY
https://plone.org/security/hotfix/20170117/sandbox-escape
Plone Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2017/01/18/6
Plone Security Information SECURITY
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/95679

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2017-5524?
CVE-2017-5524 is a security vulnerability in Plone involving Plone Sandbox Escape under CWE-134: Use of Externally-Controlled Format String.
Which Plone versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.3.12, 5.1b1, 5.0.7 across affected packages: Plone.
What version fixes CVE-2017-5524?
Upgrading to 4.3.12, 5.1b1, 5.0.7 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is Plone affected?
Yes, Plone is affected in releases prior to 4.3.12, 5.1b1, 5.0.7. Upgrade your dependency to 4.3.12, 5.1b1, 5.0.7 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2017-5524?
CVE-2017-5524 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.3 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2017-5524?
CVE-2017-5524 is classified under CWE-134: Use of Externally-Controlled Format String (The product uses a function that accepts a format string as an argument, but the format string originates from an external source.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2017-5524?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show Plone'. 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-p5wr-vp8g-q5p4",
  "modified" : "2024-10-18T21:39:21Z",
  "published" : "2018-07-12T14:45:15Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2017-5524" ],
  "summary" : "Plone Sandbox Escape",
  "details" : "Plone 4.x through 4.3.11 and 5.x through 5.0.6 allow remote attackers to bypass a sandbox protection mechanism and obtain sensitive information by leveraging the Python string format method.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "Plone"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.3.12"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "Plone"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "5.1a1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "5.1b1"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 5.1a2"
    }
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "Plone"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "5.0rc1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "5.0.7"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-5524"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/plone/Products.CMFPlone/pull/1912"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/plone/Products.CMFPlone/commit/a7d47692058e10ce89968e7ca4dacbdf44fcad4f"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-p5wr-vp8g-q5p4"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/plone/PYSEC-2017-81.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://plone.org/security/hotfix/20170117/sandbox-escape"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2017/01/18/6"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/95679"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-134" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:48:01Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}