CVE-2023-28459: Pretalx Path Traversal Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-wh3w-jcc7-mhmf
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CVSS 6.5
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-28459 is a HIGH (CVSS 6.5) path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Pretalx libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves pretalx vulnerable to path traversal in html export. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.3.2.

CVE-2023-28459 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-28459
GHSA Identifier GHSA-wh3w-jcc7-mhmf
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.5
CWE Classification CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Affected Product Pretalx
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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 High (C:H)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2023-28459

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

pretalx fixed: 2.3.2 
pip install pretalx>=2.3.2
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 pretalx

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2023-28459, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show pretalx

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Pretalx in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.3.2), your application is affected.

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

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal'), where the product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory. In Pretalx, 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

pretalx before 2.3.2 allows path traversal in HTML export (a non-default feature). Users were able to upload crafted HTML documents that trigger the reading of arbitrary files.

CVE-2023-28459 Affected Pretalx Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.3.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
pretalx
pypi/pretalx
PyPI
< 2.3.2
2.3.2

References

NVD — CVE-2023-28459 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-28459
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/pretalx/pretalx/commit/60722c43cf975f319e94102e6bff320723776890
Pretalx Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pretalx/pretalx
Pretalx Release RELEASE
https://github.com/pretalx/pretalx/releases/tag/v2.3.2
Pretalx Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/pretalx/PYSEC-2023-41.yaml
Pretalx Release RELEASE
https://pretalx.com/p/news/security-release-232
www.sonarsource.com/blog/pretalx-vulner... WEB
https://www.sonarsource.com/blog/pretalx-vulnerabilities-how-to-get-accepted-at-every-conference

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-28459?
CVE-2023-28459 is a security vulnerability in Pretalx involving pretalx vulnerable to path traversal in HTML export under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Pretalx versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.3.2 across affected packages: pretalx.
What version fixes CVE-2023-28459?
Upgrading to 2.3.2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is pretalx affected?
Yes, pretalx is affected in releases prior to 2.3.2. Upgrade your dependency to 2.3.2 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-28459?
CVE-2023-28459 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-28459?
CVE-2023-28459 is classified under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') (The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2023-28459?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show pretalx'. 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-wh3w-jcc7-mhmf",
  "modified" : "2024-10-21T20:10:13Z",
  "published" : "2023-04-20T21:33:27Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-28459" ],
  "summary" : "pretalx vulnerable to path traversal in HTML export",
  "details" : "pretalx before 2.3.2 allows path traversal in HTML export (a non-default feature). Users were able to upload crafted HTML documents that trigger the reading of arbitrary files.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "pretalx"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.3.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-28459"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pretalx/pretalx/commit/60722c43cf975f319e94102e6bff320723776890"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pretalx/pretalx"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pretalx/pretalx/releases/tag/v2.3.2"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/pretalx/PYSEC-2023-41.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://pretalx.com/p/news/security-release-232"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.sonarsource.com/blog/pretalx-vulnerabilities-how-to-get-accepted-at-every-conference"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-04-24T20:16:25Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-04-20T21:15:08Z"
  }
}