CVE-2012-2146: Elixir Elixir Can Leak Information Due Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-vfcg-5ggc-3rxx
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-327
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2012-2146 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) elixir can leak information due vulnerability (CWE-327: Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm) affecting Elixir libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves elixir can leak information due to weak use of crypto. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2012-2146 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2012-2146
GHSA Identifier GHSA-vfcg-5ggc-3rxx
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-327: Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm
Affected Product Elixir
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

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:N/A:N).

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 None (I:N)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2012-2146

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

Elixir fixed: Latest secure release 
pip install Elixir>=Latest secure release
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 Elixir

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2012-2146, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show Elixir

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

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

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-327: Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm, where the product uses a broken or risky cryptographic algorithm or protocol. In Elixir, 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

Elixir prior to and including 0.7.1 uses Blowfish in CFB mode without constructing a unique initialization vector (IV), which makes it easier for context-dependent users to obtain sensitive information and decrypt the database. A patch has been [attached](https://sochotni.fedorapeople.org/python-elixir-aes-encryption-addition.patch) to the initial advisory to mitigate this vulnerability.

CVE-2012-2146 Affected Elixir Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
Elixir
pypi/Elixir
PyPI
≤ 0.7.1

References

NVD — CVE-2012-2146 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-2146
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=810013
Elixir Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/elixir/PYSEC-2012-13.yaml
Elixir Security Information SECURITY
http://elixir.ematia.de/trac/ticket/119
groups.google.com/group/sqlelixir/bro... WEB
http://groups.google.com/group/sqlelixir/browse_thread/thread/efc16227514cffa?pli=1
Elixir Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/04/27/8
Elixir Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/04/28/2
Elixir Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/04/29/1

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2012-2146?
CVE-2012-2146 is a security vulnerability in Elixir involving Elixir can leak information due to weak use of crypto under CWE-327: Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm.
Which Elixir versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: Elixir.
What version fixes CVE-2012-2146?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is Elixir affected?
Yes, Elixir is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2012-2146?
CVE-2012-2146 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2012-2146?
CVE-2012-2146 is classified under CWE-327: Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm (The product uses a broken or risky cryptographic algorithm or protocol.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2012-2146?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show Elixir'. 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-vfcg-5ggc-3rxx",
  "modified" : "2024-09-20T16:51:45Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-17T05:25:05Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2012-2146" ],
  "summary" : "Elixir can leak information due to weak use of crypto",
  "details" : "Elixir prior to and including 0.7.1 uses Blowfish in CFB mode without constructing a unique initialization vector (IV), which makes it easier for context-dependent users to obtain sensitive information and decrypt the database. A patch has been [attached](https://sochotni.fedorapeople.org/python-elixir-aes-encryption-addition.patch) to the initial advisory to mitigate this vulnerability.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "Elixir"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "0.7.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-2146"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=810013"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/elixir/PYSEC-2012-13.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://elixir.ematia.de/trac/ticket/119"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://groups.google.com/group/sqlelixir/browse_thread/thread/efc16227514cffa?pli=1"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/04/27/8"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/04/28/2"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/04/29/1"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-327" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-05-01T11:17:51Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2012-08-26T21:55:00Z"
  }
}