CVE-2014-9720: Tornado Tornado XSRF Cookie Allows Side-channel Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-8vpw-mgpf-mpvv
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CVSS 6.5
CWE-203
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2014-9720 is a HIGH (CVSS 6.5) tornado xsrf cookie allows side-channel vulnerability (CWE-203: Observable Discrepancy) affecting Tornado libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves tornado xsrf cookie allows side-channel attack against tls (breach attack). Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.2.2.

CVE-2014-9720 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2014-9720
GHSA Identifier GHSA-8vpw-mgpf-mpvv
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.5
CWE Classification CWE-203: Observable Discrepancy
Affected Product Tornado
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:N/UI:R/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 Required (UI:R)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2014-9720

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

tornado fixed: 3.2.2 
pip install tornado>=3.2.2
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 tornado

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2014-9720, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show tornado

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Tornado in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.2.2), your application is affected.

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

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-203: Observable Discrepancy, where the product behaves differently or sends different responses under different circumstances in a way that is observable to an unauthorized actor. In Tornado, 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

Tornado before 3.2.2 sends arbitrary responses that contain a fixed CSRF token and may be sent with HTTP compression, which makes it easier for remote attackers to conduct a BREACH attack and determine this token via a series of crafted requests.

CVE-2014-9720 Affected Tornado Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.2.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
tornado
pypi/tornado
PyPI
< 3.2.2
3.2.2

References

NVD — CVE-2014-9720 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2014-9720
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/tornadoweb/tornado/commit/1c36307463b1e8affae100bf9386948e6c1b2308
bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=930362
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1222816
Tornado Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/tornado/PYSEC-2020-213.yaml
Tornado Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/tornadoweb/tornado
Tornado Security Information SECURITY
http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2015/05/19/4
Tornado Release RELEASE
http://www.tornadoweb.org/en/stable/releases/v3.2.2.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2014-9720?
CVE-2014-9720 is a security vulnerability in Tornado involving Tornado XSRF cookie allows side-channel attack against TLS (BREACH attack) under CWE-203: Observable Discrepancy.
Which Tornado versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.2.2 across affected packages: tornado.
What version fixes CVE-2014-9720?
Upgrading to 3.2.2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is tornado affected?
Yes, tornado is affected in releases prior to 3.2.2. Upgrade your dependency to 3.2.2 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2014-9720?
CVE-2014-9720 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2014-9720?
CVE-2014-9720 is classified under CWE-203: Observable Discrepancy (The product behaves differently or sends different responses under different circumstances in a way that is observable to an unauthorized actor.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2014-9720?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show tornado'. 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-8vpw-mgpf-mpvv",
  "modified" : "2024-11-13T22:52:57Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-17T19:57:19Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2014-9720" ],
  "summary" : "Tornado XSRF cookie allows side-channel attack against TLS (BREACH attack)",
  "details" : "Tornado before 3.2.2 sends arbitrary responses that contain a fixed CSRF token and may be sent with HTTP compression, which makes it easier for remote attackers to conduct a BREACH attack and determine this token via a series of crafted requests.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "tornado"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.2.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2014-9720"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/tornadoweb/tornado/commit/1c36307463b1e8affae100bf9386948e6c1b2308"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=930362"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1222816"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/tornado/PYSEC-2020-213.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/tornadoweb/tornado"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2015/05/19/4"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.tornadoweb.org/en/stable/releases/v3.2.2.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-203" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-02-01T20:53:42Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-01-24T18:15:00Z"
  }
}