CVE-2012-4406: Swift OpenStack Object Storage (swift) Code Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-v7mh-3jgf-r26c
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-502 CWE-94
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2012-4406 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) openstack object storage (swift) code vulnerability (CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data) affecting Swift libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves openstack object storage (swift) code injection vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.7.0.

CVE-2012-4406 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2012-4406
GHSA Identifier GHSA-v7mh-3jgf-r26c
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data
Affected Product Swift
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-2012-4406

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

swift fixed: 1.7.0 
pip install swift>=1.7.0
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 swift

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2012-4406, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show swift

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Swift in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.7.0), your application is affected.

Note: The pip show swift 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 Swift, 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

OpenStack Object Storage (swift) before 1.7.0 uses the loads function in the pickle Python module unsafely when storing and loading metadata in memcached, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted pickle object.

CVE-2012-4406 Affected Swift Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.7.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
swift
pypi/swift
PyPI
< 1.7.0
1.7.0

References

NVD — CVE-2012-4406 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-4406
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openstack/swift/commit/e1ff51c04554d51616d2845f92ab726cb0e5831a
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2012:13... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2012:1379
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2013:06... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2013:0691
Swift Security Information SECURITY
https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2012-4406
bugs.launchpad.net/swift/+bug/1006414 WEB
https://bugs.launchpad.net/swift/+bug/1006414
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=854757
exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/791... WEB
https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/79140
launchpad.net/swift/+milestone/1.... WEB
https://launchpad.net/swift/+milestone/1.7.0
opendev.org/openstack/swift PACKAGE
https://opendev.org/openstack/swift
Swift Security Information SECURITY
https://web.archive.org/web/20130629092623/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/55420
lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-a... WEB
http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2012-October/089472.html
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2012-13... WEB
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2012-1379.html
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2013-06... WEB
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2013-0691.html
Swift Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/09/05/16
Swift Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/09/05/4
Swift Security Information SECURITY
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/55420

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2012-4406?
CVE-2012-4406 is a security vulnerability in Swift involving OpenStack Object Storage (swift) Code Injection vulnerability under CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data.
Which Swift versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.7.0 across affected packages: swift.
What version fixes CVE-2012-4406?
Upgrading to 1.7.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is swift affected?
Yes, swift is affected in releases prior to 1.7.0. Upgrade your dependency to 1.7.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2012-4406?
CVE-2012-4406 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-2012-4406?
CVE-2012-4406 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-2012-4406?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show swift'. 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-v7mh-3jgf-r26c",
  "modified" : "2024-02-06T16:02:43Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-17T01:42:16Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2012-4406" ],
  "summary" : "OpenStack Object Storage (swift) Code Injection vulnerability",
  "details" : "OpenStack Object Storage (swift) before 1.7.0 uses the loads function in the pickle Python module unsafely when storing and loading metadata in memcached, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted pickle object.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
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    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
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      } ]
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  } ],
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  }, {
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  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2012:1379"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2013:0691"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2012-4406"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugs.launchpad.net/swift/+bug/1006414"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=854757"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/79140"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://launchpad.net/swift/+milestone/1.7.0"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://opendev.org/openstack/swift"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20130629092623/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/55420"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2012-October/089472.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2012-1379.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2013-0691.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/09/05/16"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/09/05/4"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/55420"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-502", "CWE-94" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-02-08T17:56:11Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2012-10-22T23:55:00Z"
  }
}