CVE-2014-1838: Logilab common Improper Link Resolution Before File Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-rr52-wg7f-8875
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CVSS 5.6
CWE-59
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2014-1838 is a HIGH (CVSS 5.6) improper link resolution before file vulnerability (CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')) affecting Logilab common libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves improper link resolution before file access in logilab-commons. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.61.0.

CVE-2014-1838 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2014-1838
GHSA Identifier GHSA-rr52-wg7f-8875
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.6
CWE Classification CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
Affected Product Logilab common
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.6

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2014-1838

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

logilab-common fixed: 0.61.0 
pip install logilab-common>=0.61.0
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 logilab-common

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2014-1838, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show logilab-common

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Logilab common in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.61.0), your application is affected.

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

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following'), where the product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource. In Logilab common, 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

The (1) extract_keys_from_pdf and (2) fill_pdf functions in pdf_ext.py in logilab-common before 0.61.0 allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files and possibly have other unspecified impact via a symlink attack on /tmp/toto.fdf.

CVE-2014-1838 Affected Logilab common Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.61.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
logilab-common
pypi/logilab-common
PyPI
< 0.61.0
0.61.0

References

NVD — CVE-2014-1838 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2014-1838
bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.c... WEB
https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=737051
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-rr52-wg7f-8875
Logilab common Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/logilab-common/PYSEC-2014-83.yaml
Logilab common Security Information SECURITY
http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.comp.security.oss.general/11986
lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/20... WEB
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2014-02/msg00085.html
www.logilab.org/ticket/207561 WEB
http://www.logilab.org/ticket/207561

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2014-1838?
CVE-2014-1838 is a security vulnerability in Logilab common involving Improper Link Resolution Before File Access in logilab-commons under CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following').
Which Logilab common versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.61.0 across affected packages: logilab-common.
What version fixes CVE-2014-1838?
Upgrading to 0.61.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is logilab-common affected?
Yes, logilab-common is affected in releases prior to 0.61.0. Upgrade your dependency to 0.61.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2014-1838?
CVE-2014-1838 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.6 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2014-1838?
CVE-2014-1838 is classified under CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following') (The product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2014-1838?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show logilab-common'. 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-rr52-wg7f-8875",
  "modified" : "2024-09-30T16:47:58Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-14T02:09:22Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2014-1838" ],
  "summary" : "Improper Link Resolution Before File Access in logilab-commons",
  "details" : "The (1) extract_keys_from_pdf and (2) fill_pdf functions in pdf_ext.py in logilab-common before 0.61.0 allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files and possibly have other unspecified impact via a symlink attack on /tmp/toto.fdf.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "logilab-common"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.61.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2014-1838"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=737051"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-rr52-wg7f-8875"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/logilab-common/PYSEC-2014-83.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.comp.security.oss.general/11986"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2014-02/msg00085.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.logilab.org/ticket/207561"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-59" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-07-07T22:48:36Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2014-03-11T19:37:00Z"
  }
}