CVE-2021-32811: Zope Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
HIGHCVE-2021-32811 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution')) affecting Zope libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves remote code execution via script (python) objects under python 3. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.6.3, 5.3.
CVE-2021-32811 at a Glance
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:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).
How to Fix CVE-2021-32811
To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Zope dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.
pip install Zope>=4.6.3
pip install Zope>=5.3
Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:
pip show Zope
How to Check if You Are Affected
To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2021-32811, inspect your installed packages using pip:
pip show Zope
Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Zope in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 4.6.3), your application is affected.
Note: The pip show Zope command checks currently installed packages in your active Python environment.
Technical Details
Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis
This vulnerability is classified under CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution'), where the product receives input from an upstream component that specifies attributes that are to be initialized or updated in an object, but it does not properly control modifications of attributes of the object prototype. In Zope, 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
CVE-2021-32811 Affected Zope Versions
2 component(s)References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2021-32811?
Which Zope versions are affected?
What version fixes CVE-2021-32811?
Is Zope affected?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-32811?
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-32811?
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2021-32811?
Machine-readable OSV JSON
OSV v1.5 Schema
{
"schema_version" : "1.4.0",
"id" : "GHSA-g4gq-j4p2-j8fr",
"modified" : "2024-09-03T21:14:03Z",
"published" : "2021-08-05T17:00:37Z",
"aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-32811" ],
"summary" : "Remote Code Execution via Script (Python) objects under Python 3",
"details" : "### Impact\nBackground: The optional add-on package `Products.PythonScripts` adds `Script (Python)` to the list of content items a user can add to the Zope object database. Inside these scripts users can write Python code that is executed when rendered through the web. The code environment in these script objects is limited, it relies on the `RestrictedPython` package to provide a \"safe\" subset of Python instructions as well as the `AccessControl` package that defines security policies for execution in the context of a Zope application.\n\nRecently the `AccessControl` package was updated to fix a remote code execution security issue. A link to the security advisory is provided in the References section below. The bug tightens the `AccessControl` security policies for Zope by blocking access to unsafe classes inside the Python `string` module.\n\nYou are only affected if the following are true:\n\n- You use Python 3 for your Zope deployment (Zope 4 on Python 2 is not affected)\n- You run Zope 4 below version 4.6.3 or Zope 5 below version 5.3\n- You have installed the optional `Products.PythonScripts` add-on package\n\nBy default, you need to have the admin-level Zope \"Manager\" role to add or edit Script (Python) objects through the web. Only sites that allow untrusted users to add/edit these scripts through the web - which would be a very unusual configuration to begin with - are at risk.\n\n### Patches\nThe problem has been fixed in `AccessControl` versions 4.3 and 5.2. Zope releases 4.6.3 and 5.3 now require these new `AccessControl` releases.\n\n### Workarounds\nA site administrator can restrict adding/editing Script (Python) objects through the web using the standard Zope user/role permission mechanisms. Untrusted users should not be assigned the Zope Manager role and adding/editing these scripts through the web should be restricted to trusted users only. This is the default configuration in Zope.\n\n### References\n* [AccessControl security advisory GHSA-qcx9-j53g-ccgf](https://github.com/zopefoundation/AccessControl/security/advisories/GHSA-qcx9-j53g-ccgf)\n\n### For more information\nIf you have any questions or comments about this advisory:\n* Open an issue in the [Zope issue tracker](https://github.com/zopefoundation/Zope/issues)\n* Email us at [security@plone.org](mailto:security@plone.org)\n\n",
"severity" : [ {
"type" : "CVSS_V3",
"score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
}, {
"type" : "CVSS_V4",
"score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
} ],
"affected" : [ {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "PyPI",
"name" : "Zope"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "4.0"
}, {
"fixed" : "4.6.3"
} ]
} ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "PyPI",
"name" : "Zope"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "5.0"
}, {
"fixed" : "5.3"
} ]
} ]
} ],
"references" : [ {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/zopefoundation/AccessControl/security/advisories/GHSA-qcx9-j53g-ccgf"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/zopefoundation/Zope/security/advisories/GHSA-g4gq-j4p2-j8fr"
}, {
"type" : "ADVISORY",
"url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-32811"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/zopefoundation/Zope/commit/869f947e586517566509e0ccdd4d99b60704cc02"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/zopefoundation/Zope/commit/f72a18dda8e9bf2aedb46168761668464a4be988"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/zope/PYSEC-2021-368.yaml"
}, {
"type" : "PACKAGE",
"url" : "https://github.com/zopefoundation/Zope"
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-1321", "CWE-915" ],
"severity" : "HIGH",
"github_reviewed" : true,
"github_reviewed_at" : "2021-08-02T22:57:25Z",
"nvd_published_at" : "2021-08-02T22:15:00Z"
}
}