CVE-2018-8768: Notebook Jupyter Notebook File Bypasses Sanitization, Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-6cwv-x26c-w2q4
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CVSS 7.8
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-8768 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.8) jupyter notebook file bypasses sanitization, vulnerability (General Security Weakness) affecting Notebook libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves jupyter notebook file bypasses sanitization, executes javascript. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 5.4.1.

CVE-2018-8768 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-8768
GHSA Identifier GHSA-6cwv-x26c-w2q4
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.8
CWE Classification General Security Weakness
Affected Product Notebook
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2018-8768

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

notebook fixed: 5.4.1 
pip install notebook>=5.4.1
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 notebook

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2018-8768, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show notebook

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Notebook in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 5.4.1), your application is affected.

Note: The pip show notebook 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 Notebook, 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

In Jupyter Notebook before 5.4.1, a maliciously forged notebook file can bypass sanitization to execute JavaScript in the notebook context. Specifically, invalid HTML is 'fixed' by jQuery after sanitization, making it dangerous.

CVE-2018-8768 Affected Notebook Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
5.4.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
notebook
pypi/notebook
PyPI
< 5.4.1
5.4.1

References

NVD — CVE-2018-8768 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-8768
Notebook Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/jupyter/notebook
Notebook Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/notebook/PYSEC-2018-57.yaml
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce... WEB
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/11/msg00033.html
Notebook Security Information SECURITY
http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2018/03/15/2

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-8768?
CVE-2018-8768 is a security vulnerability in Notebook involving Jupyter Notebook file bypasses sanitization, executes JavaScript under General Security Weakness.
Which Notebook versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 5.4.1 across affected packages: notebook.
What version fixes CVE-2018-8768?
Upgrading to 5.4.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is notebook affected?
Yes, notebook is affected in releases prior to 5.4.1. Upgrade your dependency to 5.4.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-8768?
CVE-2018-8768 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-8768?
CVE-2018-8768 is classified under General Security Weakness.
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2018-8768?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show notebook'. 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-6cwv-x26c-w2q4",
  "modified" : "2024-09-27T19:51:01Z",
  "published" : "2018-07-12T12:00:00Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-8768" ],
  "summary" : "Jupyter Notebook file bypasses sanitization, executes JavaScript",
  "details" : "In Jupyter Notebook before 5.4.1, a maliciously forged notebook file can bypass sanitization to execute JavaScript in the notebook context. Specifically, invalid HTML is 'fixed' by jQuery after sanitization, making it dangerous.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "notebook"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "5.4.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-8768"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/jupyter/notebook"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/notebook/PYSEC-2018-57.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/11/msg00033.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2018/03/15/2"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:18:58Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}