CVE-2025-27154: Spotipy Spotipy's Cache File, Containing Spotify Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-pwhh-q4h6-w599
CWE-276
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2025-27154 is a HIGH spotipy's cache file, containing spotify vulnerability (CWE-276: Incorrect Default Permissions) affecting Spotipy libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves spotipy's cache file, containing spotify auth token, is created with overly broad permissions. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.25.1.

CVE-2025-27154 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2025-27154
GHSA Identifier GHSA-pwhh-q4h6-w599
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-276: Incorrect Default Permissions
Affected Product Spotipy
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2025-27154

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

spotipy fixed: 2.25.1
pip install spotipy>=2.25.1
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 spotipy

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2025-27154, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show spotipy

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Spotipy in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.25.1), your application is affected.

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

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-276: Incorrect Default Permissions, where during installation, installed file permissions are set to allow anyone to modify those files. In Spotipy, 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

### Summary The `CacheHandler` class creates a cache file to store the auth token here: https://github.com/spotipy-dev/spotipy/blob/master/spotipy/cache_handler.py#L93-L98 The file created has `rw-r--r--` (644) permissions by default, when it could be locked down to `rw-------` (600) permissions. I think `600` is a sensible default. ![image](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/0b7ebbc1-a27a-4528-ab6a-135c7886766a) ### Details This leads to overly broad exposure of the spotify auth token. If this token can be read by an attacker (another user on the machine, or a process running as another user), it can be used to perform administrative actions on the Spotify account, depending on the scope granted to the token. ### PoC Run an application that uses spotipy with client creation like this: ```python from pathlib import Path import spotipy from os import getenv def create_spotify_client(client_id: str, client_secret: str) -> spotipy.Spotify: """Create and return an authenticated Spotify client. Args: client_id: Spotify API client ID client_secret: Spotify API client secret Returns: An authenticated Spotify client instance """ cache_path = Path.home() / ".cache" / "spotify-backup/.auth_cache" cache_path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True) cache_handler = spotipy.cache_handler.CacheFileHandler(cache_path=str(cache_path)) client = spotipy.Spotify( auth_manager=spotipy.oauth2.SpotifyOAuth( client_id=client_id, client_secret=client_secret, redirect_uri="http://localhost:8000/callback", cache_handler=cache_handler, scope=[ "user-library-read", "playlist-read-private", "playlist-read-collaborative", ], ) ) return client create_spotify_client() ``` And then check the file permissions on the cache file that was created with: ```bash $ ls -la ~/.cache/spotify-backup/.auth_cache` .rw-r--r--. alichtman alichtman 562 B Thu Feb 20 02:12:33 2025  /home/alichtman/.cache/spotify-backup/.auth_cache ``` If this issue is combined with another misconfiguration, like having `o+r` permissions set on your home directory, an attacker will be able to read this file and steal this auth token. Good defense in depth would be to restrict read permissions on this cache file that contains an auth token ### Impact Potential exposure of Spotify auth token to other users with access to the machine. A worst case scenario is if the token is granted all permissions, and can be used to do any of: - exfiltrate spotify likes / saved playlists - delete your content - modify your content w/o your permission If someone were to discover an RCE in Spotify that you could trigger on a machine by having a song played (or song metadata parsed or something), this auth token could maybe be used to add a song to a playlist, or control playback (allowing further exploitation).

CVE-2025-27154 Affected Spotipy Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.25.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
spotipy
PyPI
< 2.25.1
2.25.1

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-27154?
CVE-2025-27154 is a security vulnerability in Spotipy involving Spotipy's cache file, containing spotify auth token, is created with overly broad permissions under CWE-276: Incorrect Default Permissions.
Which Spotipy versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.25.1 across affected packages: spotipy.
What version fixes CVE-2025-27154?
Upgrading to 2.25.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is spotipy affected?
Yes, spotipy is affected in releases prior to 2.25.1. Upgrade your dependency to 2.25.1 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2025-27154?
CVE-2025-27154 is classified under CWE-276: Incorrect Default Permissions (During installation, installed file permissions are set to allow anyone to modify those files.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2025-27154?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show spotipy'. 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
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-pwhh-q4h6-w599",
  "modified" : "2025-02-28T02:34:39Z",
  "published" : "2025-02-28T02:34:38Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2025-27154" ],
  "summary" : "Spotipy's cache file, containing spotify auth token, is created with overly broad permissions",
  "details" : "### Summary\n\nThe `CacheHandler` class creates a cache file to store the auth token here: https://github.com/spotipy-dev/spotipy/blob/master/spotipy/cache_handler.py#L93-L98\n\nThe file created has `rw-r--r--` (644) permissions by default, when it could be locked down to `rw-------` (600) permissions. I think `600` is a sensible default.\n\n![image](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/0b7ebbc1-a27a-4528-ab6a-135c7886766a)\n\n### Details\n\nThis leads to overly broad exposure of the spotify auth token. If this token can be read by an attacker (another user on the machine, or a process running as another user), it can be used to perform administrative actions on the Spotify account, depending on the scope granted to the token.\n\n### PoC\n\nRun an application that uses spotipy with client creation like this:\n\n```python\nfrom pathlib import Path\nimport spotipy\nfrom os import getenv\n\ndef create_spotify_client(client_id: str, client_secret: str) -> spotipy.Spotify:\n    \"\"\"Create and return an authenticated Spotify client.\n\n    Args:\n        client_id: Spotify API client ID\n        client_secret: Spotify API client secret\n\n    Returns:\n        An authenticated Spotify client instance\n    \"\"\"\n    cache_path = Path.home() / \".cache\" / \"spotify-backup/.auth_cache\"\n    cache_path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)\n    cache_handler = spotipy.cache_handler.CacheFileHandler(cache_path=str(cache_path))\n\n    client = spotipy.Spotify(\n        auth_manager=spotipy.oauth2.SpotifyOAuth(\n            client_id=client_id,\n            client_secret=client_secret,\n            redirect_uri=\"http://localhost:8000/callback\",\n            cache_handler=cache_handler,\n            scope=[\n                \"user-library-read\",\n                \"playlist-read-private\",\n                \"playlist-read-collaborative\",\n            ],\n        )\n    )\n\n    return client\n\ncreate_spotify_client()\n```\n\nAnd then check the file permissions on the cache file that was created with:\n\n```bash\n$ ls -la ~/.cache/spotify-backup/.auth_cache`\n.rw-r--r--. alichtman alichtman 562 B Thu Feb 20 02:12:33 2025  /home/alichtman/.cache/spotify-backup/.auth_cache\n```\n\nIf this issue is combined with another misconfiguration, like having `o+r` permissions set on your home directory, an attacker will be able to read this file and steal this auth token.\n\nGood defense in depth would be to restrict read permissions on this cache file that contains an auth token\n\n### Impact\n\nPotential exposure of Spotify auth token to other users with access to the machine. A worst case scenario is if the token is granted all permissions, and can be used to do any of:\n\n- exfiltrate spotify likes / saved playlists\n- delete your content\n- modify your content w/o your permission\n\nIf someone were to discover an RCE in Spotify that you could trigger on a machine by having a song played (or song metadata parsed or something), this auth token could maybe be used to add a song to a playlist, or control playback (allowing further exploitation).",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "spotipy"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.25.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/spotipy-dev/spotipy/security/advisories/GHSA-pwhh-q4h6-w599"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-27154"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/spotipy-dev/spotipy/commit/1ca453f6ef87a2a9e9876f52b6cb38d13532ccf2"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/spotipy-dev/spotipy"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/spotipy-dev/spotipy/blob/master/spotipy/cache_handler.py#L93-L98"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/spotipy-dev/spotipy/releases/tag/2.25.1"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-276" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2025-02-28T02:34:38Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2025-02-27T14:15:36Z"
  }
}