CVE-2023-37659: Xalpha Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-jx3q-5rgf-vrrr
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-94
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-37659 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')) affecting Xalpha libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves xalpha vulnerable to remote code execution. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.11.9.

CVE-2023-37659 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-37659
GHSA Identifier GHSA-jx3q-5rgf-vrrr
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')
Affected Product Xalpha
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

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:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

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

How to Fix CVE-2023-37659

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

xalpha fixed: 0.11.9 
pip install xalpha>=0.11.9
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 xalpha

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2023-37659, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show xalpha

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Xalpha in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.11.9), your application is affected.

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

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment. In Xalpha, 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

xalpha v0.11.4 is vulnerable to Remote Command Execution (RCE). User input is not properly checked to be numerical values prior to being evaluated.

CVE-2023-37659 Affected Xalpha Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.11.9
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
xalpha
pypi/xalpha
PyPI
≥ 0.11.4
< 0.11.9
0.11.9

References

NVD — CVE-2023-37659 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-37659
Xalpha Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/refraction-ray/xalpha/issues/175
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/refraction-ray/xalpha/commit/6dceaa159a1a319d750ade20a4595956876657b6
Xalpha Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/xalpha/PYSEC-2023-116.yaml
Xalpha Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/refraction-ray/xalpha

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-37659?
CVE-2023-37659 is a security vulnerability in Xalpha involving xalpha vulnerable to Remote Code Execution under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection').
Which Xalpha versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.11.9 across affected packages: xalpha.
What version fixes CVE-2023-37659?
Upgrading to 0.11.9 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is xalpha affected?
Yes, xalpha is affected in releases prior to 0.11.9. Upgrade your dependency to 0.11.9 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-37659?
CVE-2023-37659 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-37659?
CVE-2023-37659 is classified under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection') (The product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2023-37659?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show xalpha'. 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-jx3q-5rgf-vrrr",
  "modified" : "2024-11-19T19:12:19Z",
  "published" : "2023-07-11T15:31:18Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-37659" ],
  "summary" : "xalpha vulnerable to Remote Code Execution",
  "details" : "xalpha v0.11.4 is vulnerable to Remote Command Execution (RCE). User input is not properly checked to be numerical values prior to being evaluated.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "xalpha"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0.11.4"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.11.9"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-37659"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/refraction-ray/xalpha/issues/175"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/refraction-ray/xalpha/commit/6dceaa159a1a319d750ade20a4595956876657b6"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/xalpha/PYSEC-2023-116.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/refraction-ray/xalpha"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-94" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-07-11T22:46:05Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-07-11T15:15:20Z"
  }
}