CVE-2013-4189: Plone Plone Privilege Escalation Due Improper Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-pwpq-632g-h49g
Share
CVSS 4.9
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2013-4189 is a MODERATE (CVSS 4.9) plone privilege escalation due improper vulnerability (General Security Weakness) affecting Plone libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves plone privilege escalation due improper authorization. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.2.6, 4.3.2.

CVE-2013-4189 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2013-4189
GHSA Identifier GHSA-pwpq-632g-h49g
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 4.9
CWE Classification General Security Weakness
Affected Product Plone
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 4.9

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required High (PR:H)
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-2013-4189

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

Plone fixed: Latest secure release 
pip install Plone>=Latest secure release
Plone fixed: 4.2.6 
pip install Plone>=4.2.6
Plone fixed: 4.3.2 
pip install Plone>=4.3.2
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 Plone

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2013-4189, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show Plone

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Plone in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 4.2.6), your application is affected.

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

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under General Security Weakness. In Plone, 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

Multiple unspecified vulnerabilities in (1) `dataitems.py`, (2) `get.py`, and (3) `traverseName.py` in Plone 2.1 through 4.1, 4.2.x through 4.2.5, and 4.3.x through 4.3.1 allow remote authenticated users with administrator access to a subtree to access nodes above the subtree via unknown vectors.

CVE-2013-4189 Affected Plone Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.2.64.3.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
Plone
pypi/Plone
PyPI
≥ 2.1
≤ 4.1
Plone
pypi/Plone
PyPI
≥ 4.2
< 4.2.6
4.2.6
Plone
pypi/Plone
PyPI
≥ 4.3
< 4.3.2
4.3.2

References

NVD — CVE-2013-4189 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2013-4189
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=978450
Plone Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/plone/Plone
Plone Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/plone/PYSEC-2014-53.yaml
Plone Release RELEASE
http://plone.org/products/plone-hotfix/releases/20130618
Plone Security Information SECURITY
http://plone.org/products/plone/security/advisories/20130618-announcement
seclists.org/oss-sec/2013/q3/261 WEB
http://seclists.org/oss-sec/2013/q3/261

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2013-4189?
CVE-2013-4189 is a security vulnerability in Plone involving Plone Privilege escalation due improper authorization under General Security Weakness.
Which Plone versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.2.6, 4.3.2 across affected packages: Plone.
What version fixes CVE-2013-4189?
Upgrading to 4.2.6, 4.3.2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is Plone affected?
Yes, Plone is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release, 4.2.6, 4.3.2. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release, 4.2.6, 4.3.2 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2013-4189?
CVE-2013-4189 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.9 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2013-4189?
CVE-2013-4189 is classified under General Security Weakness.
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2013-4189?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show Plone'. 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-pwpq-632g-h49g",
  "modified" : "2025-04-13T22:21:22Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-17T04:49:49Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2013-4189" ],
  "summary" : "Plone Privilege escalation due improper authorization",
  "details" : "Multiple unspecified vulnerabilities in (1) `dataitems.py`, (2) `get.py`, and (3) `traverseName.py` in Plone 2.1 through 4.1, 4.2.x through 4.2.5, and 4.3.x through 4.3.1 allow remote authenticated users with administrator access to a subtree to access nodes above the subtree via unknown vectors.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "Plone"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.1"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "4.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "Plone"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.2"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.2.6"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "Plone"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.3"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.3.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2013-4189"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=978450"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/plone/Plone"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/plone/PYSEC-2014-53.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://plone.org/products/plone-hotfix/releases/20130618"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://plone.org/products/plone/security/advisories/20130618-announcement"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://seclists.org/oss-sec/2013/q3/261"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-04-29T16:41:53Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2014-03-11T19:37:00Z"
  }
}