CVE-2013-1633: Setuptools Setuptools Vulnerable To Man-in-the-middle Attacks Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-27x4-j476-jp5f
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CVSS 8.3
CWE-319
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2013-1633 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.3) setuptools vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks vulnerability (CWE-319: Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information) affecting Setuptools libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves setuptools vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.7.

CVE-2013-1633 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2013-1633
GHSA Identifier GHSA-27x4-j476-jp5f
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.3
CWE Classification CWE-319: Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information
Affected Product Setuptools
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.3

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:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).

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

How to Fix CVE-2013-1633

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

setuptools fixed: 0.7 
pip install setuptools>=0.7
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 setuptools

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2013-1633, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show setuptools

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Setuptools in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.7), your application is affected.

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

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-319: Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information, where the product transmits sensitive or security-critical data in cleartext in a communication channel that can be sniffed by unauthorized actors. In Setuptools, 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

easy_install in setuptools before 0.7 uses HTTP to retrieve packages from the PyPI repository, and does not perform integrity checks on package contents, which allows man-in-the-middle attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted response to the default use of the product.

CVE-2013-1633 Affected Setuptools Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.7
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
setuptools
pypi/setuptools
PyPI
< 0.7
0.7

References

NVD — CVE-2013-1633 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2013-1633
Setuptools Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/setuptools/PYSEC-2013-22.yaml
Setuptools Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/setuptools
pypi.python.org/pypi/setuptools/0.9... WEB
https://pypi.python.org/pypi/setuptools/0.9.8#changes
www.reddit.com/r/python/comments/1... WEB
http://www.reddit.com/r/Python/comments/17rfh7/warning_dont_use_pip_in_an_untrusted_network_a

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2013-1633?
CVE-2013-1633 is a security vulnerability in Setuptools involving Setuptools vulnerable to Man-in-the-middle attacks under CWE-319: Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information.
Which Setuptools versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.7 across affected packages: setuptools.
What version fixes CVE-2013-1633?
Upgrading to 0.7 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is setuptools affected?
Yes, setuptools is affected in releases prior to 0.7. Upgrade your dependency to 0.7 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2013-1633?
CVE-2013-1633 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.3 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2013-1633?
CVE-2013-1633 is classified under CWE-319: Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information (The product transmits sensitive or security-critical data in cleartext in a communication channel that can be sniffed by unauthorized actors.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2013-1633?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show setuptools'. 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-27x4-j476-jp5f",
  "modified" : "2024-10-22T16:40:50Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-17T05:01:02Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2013-1633" ],
  "summary" : "Setuptools vulnerable to Man-in-the-middle attacks",
  "details" : "easy_install in setuptools before 0.7 uses HTTP to retrieve packages from the PyPI repository, and does not perform integrity checks on package contents, which allows man-in-the-middle attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted response to the default use of the product.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "setuptools"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.7"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2013-1633"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/setuptools/PYSEC-2013-22.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/setuptools"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://pypi.python.org/pypi/setuptools/0.9.8#changes"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.reddit.com/r/Python/comments/17rfh7/warning_dont_use_pip_in_an_untrusted_network_a"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-319" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-08-29T18:46:57Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2013-08-06T02:52:00Z"
  }
}