CVE-2022-2523: Fava Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-q8hg-3vqv-f8v3
Share
CVSS 6.1
CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2022-2523 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.1) cross-site scripting vulnerability (CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')) affecting Fava libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves fava vulnerable to reflected cross-site scripting. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.22.2.

CVE-2022-2523 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2022-2523
GHSA Identifier GHSA-q8hg-3vqv-f8v3
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.1
CWE Classification CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Affected Product Fava
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.1

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:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Changed (S:C)
Confidentiality Low (C:L)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2022-2523

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

fava fixed: 1.22.2 
pip install fava>=1.22.2
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 fava

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2022-2523, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show fava

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Fava in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.22.2), your application is affected.

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

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting'), where the product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users. In Fava, 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

Cross-site Scripting (XSS) - Reflected in GitHub repository beancount/fava prior to 1.22.2. The `query_string` parameter of Fava is vulnerable to reflected cross-site scripting, for which a attacker can modify any information that the user is able to modify. This issue is fixed in version 1.22.2.

CVE-2022-2523 Affected Fava Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.22.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
fava
pypi/fava
PyPI
< 1.22.2
1.22.2

References

NVD — CVE-2022-2523 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-2523
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/beancount/fava/commit/dccfb6a2f4567f35ce2e9a78e24f92ebf946bc9b
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-q8hg-3vqv-f8v3
Fava Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/beancount/fava
Fava Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/fava/PYSEC-2022-240.yaml
huntr.dev/bounties/2a1802d8-1... WEB
https://huntr.dev/bounties/2a1802d8-1c2e-4919-96a7-d4dcf7ffcf8f

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-2523?
CVE-2022-2523 is a security vulnerability in Fava involving Fava vulnerable to Reflected Cross-site Scripting under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting').
Which Fava versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.22.2 across affected packages: fava.
What version fixes CVE-2022-2523?
Upgrading to 1.22.2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is fava affected?
Yes, fava is affected in releases prior to 1.22.2. Upgrade your dependency to 1.22.2 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2022-2523?
CVE-2022-2523 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.1 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2022-2523?
CVE-2022-2523 is classified under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') (The product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2022-2523?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show fava'. 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-q8hg-3vqv-f8v3",
  "modified" : "2024-09-20T17:32:42Z",
  "published" : "2022-07-26T00:01:08Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2022-2523" ],
  "summary" : "Fava vulnerable to Reflected Cross-site Scripting",
  "details" : "Cross-site Scripting (XSS) - Reflected in GitHub repository beancount/fava prior to 1.22.2.\nThe `query_string` parameter of Fava is vulnerable to reflected cross-site scripting, for which a attacker can modify any information that the user is able to modify. This issue is fixed in version 1.22.2.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:L/SI:L/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "fava"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.22.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-2523"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/beancount/fava/commit/dccfb6a2f4567f35ce2e9a78e24f92ebf946bc9b"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-q8hg-3vqv-f8v3"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/beancount/fava"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/fava/PYSEC-2022-240.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://huntr.dev/bounties/2a1802d8-1c2e-4919-96a7-d4dcf7ffcf8f"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-08-06T09:34:38Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-07-25T14:15:00Z"
  }
}