CVE-2024-8238: Aim Aim Improper Access Control Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-r229-5wgf-f28g
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CVSS 5.9
CWE-284 CWE-1336
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2024-8238 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.9) aim improper access control vulnerability (CWE-284: Improper Access Control) affecting Aim libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves aim improper access control. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2024-8238 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2024-8238
GHSA Identifier GHSA-r229-5wgf-f28g
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.9
CWE Classification CWE-284: Improper Access Control
Affected Product Aim
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.9

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
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-2024-8238

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

aim fixed: Latest secure release 
pip install aim>=Latest secure release
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 aim

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2024-8238, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show aim

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

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

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-284: Improper Access Control, where the product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor. In Aim, 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 version 3.22.0 of aimhubio/aim, the AimQL query language uses an outdated version of the safer_getattr() function from RestrictedPython. This version does not protect against the str.format_map() method, allowing an attacker to leak server-side secrets or potentially gain unrestricted code execution. The vulnerability arises because str.format_map() can read arbitrary attributes of Python objects, enabling attackers to access sensitive variables such as os.environ. If an attacker can write files to a known location on the Aim server, they can use str.format_map() to load a malicious .dll/.so file into the Python interpreter, leading to unrestricted code execution.

CVE-2024-8238 Affected Aim Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
aim
pypi/aim
PyPI
≥ 3.0.0
≤ 3.22.0

References

NVD — CVE-2024-8238 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-8238
Aim Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/aimhubio/aim
Aim Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/aimhubio/aim/blob/main/aim/storage/query.py#L45
huntr.com/bounties/4e140ef9-f... WEB
https://huntr.com/bounties/4e140ef9-f6d1-4e68-a44c-3b9e856924d3

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2024-8238?
CVE-2024-8238 is a security vulnerability in Aim involving Aim Improper Access Control under CWE-284: Improper Access Control.
Which Aim versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: aim.
What version fixes CVE-2024-8238?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is aim affected?
Yes, aim is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2024-8238?
CVE-2024-8238 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.9 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2024-8238?
CVE-2024-8238 is classified under CWE-284: Improper Access Control (The product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2024-8238?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show aim'. 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-r229-5wgf-f28g",
  "modified" : "2025-03-20T20:41:28Z",
  "published" : "2025-03-20T12:32:47Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2024-8238" ],
  "summary" : "Aim Improper Access Control",
  "details" : "In version 3.22.0 of aimhubio/aim, the AimQL query language uses an outdated version of the safer_getattr() function from RestrictedPython. This version does not protect against the str.format_map() method, allowing an attacker to leak server-side secrets or potentially gain unrestricted code execution. The vulnerability arises because str.format_map() can read arbitrary attributes of Python objects, enabling attackers to access sensitive variables such as os.environ. If an attacker can write files to a known location on the Aim server, they can use str.format_map() to load a malicious .dll/.so file into the Python interpreter, leading to unrestricted code execution.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "aim"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.0.0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "3.22.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-8238"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/aimhubio/aim"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/aimhubio/aim/blob/main/aim/storage/query.py#L45"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://huntr.com/bounties/4e140ef9-f6d1-4e68-a44c-3b9e856924d3"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-1336", "CWE-284" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2025-03-20T20:41:28Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2025-03-20T10:15:41Z"
  }
}