Vulnerabilities in pkg:pypi/pwntools

PACKAGE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-7xc5-ggpp-g249
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Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-28468 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) pwntools server-side template injection (ssti) vulnerability (CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')) affecting Pwntools libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves pwntools server-side template injection (ssti) vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.3.1.

1 Known Advisory Record(s)
Package Vulnerability Intelligence

pkg:pypi/pwntools

1 Known Advisory Record(s)

Vulnerability advisories affecting package pkg:pypi/pwntools. Select an advisory below to view technical details or fixes.

Advisory ID CVE / NVD Severity Summary
GHSA-7xc5-ggpp-g249 CVE-2020-28468 CRITICAL pwntools Server-Side Template Injection (SSTI) vulnerability

CVE-2020-28468 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-28468
GHSA Identifier GHSA-7xc5-ggpp-g249
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')
Affected Product Pwntools
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-2020-28468

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

pwntools fixed: 4.3.1 
pip install pwntools>=4.3.1
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 pwntools

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2020-28468, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show pwntools

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Pwntools in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 4.3.1), your application is affected.

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

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of a command, data structure, or record using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify how it is parsed or interpreted when it is sent to a downstream component. In Pwntools, 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

This affects the package pwntools before 4.3.1. The shellcraft generator for affected versions of this module are vulnerable to Server-Side Template Injection (SSTI), which can lead to remote code execution.

CVE-2020-28468 Affected Pwntools Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.3.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
pwntools
pypi/pwntools
PyPI
< 4.3.1
4.3.1

References

NVD — CVE-2020-28468 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-28468
Pwntools Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/Gallopsled/pwntools/issues/1427
Pwntools Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/Gallopsled/pwntools/pull/1732
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/Gallopsled/pwntools/commit/138188eb1c027a2d0ffa4151511c407d3a001660
Pwntools Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/Gallopsled/pwntools
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-7xc5-ggpp-g249
Pwntools Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/pwntools/PYSEC-2021-72.yaml
snyk.io/vuln/snyk-python-pw... WEB
https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-PYTHON-PWNTOOLS-1047345

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-28468?
CVE-2020-28468 is a security vulnerability in Pwntools involving pwntools Server-Side Template Injection (SSTI) vulnerability under CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection').
Which Pwntools versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.3.1 across affected packages: pwntools.
What version fixes CVE-2020-28468?
Upgrading to 4.3.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is pwntools affected?
Yes, pwntools is affected in releases prior to 4.3.1. Upgrade your dependency to 4.3.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-28468?
CVE-2020-28468 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-2020-28468?
CVE-2020-28468 is classified under CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection') (The product constructs all or part of a command, data structure, or record using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify how it is parsed or interpreted when it is sent to a downstream component.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2020-28468?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show pwntools'. 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-7xc5-ggpp-g249",
  "modified" : "2024-10-18T21:58:01Z",
  "published" : "2021-04-20T16:13:24Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-28468" ],
  "summary" : "pwntools Server-Side Template Injection (SSTI) vulnerability",
  "details" : "This affects the package pwntools before 4.3.1. The shellcraft generator for affected versions of this module are vulnerable to Server-Side Template Injection (SSTI), which can lead to remote code execution.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "pwntools"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.3.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-28468"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/Gallopsled/pwntools/issues/1427"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/Gallopsled/pwntools/pull/1732"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/Gallopsled/pwntools/commit/138188eb1c027a2d0ffa4151511c407d3a001660"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/Gallopsled/pwntools"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-7xc5-ggpp-g249"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/pwntools/PYSEC-2021-72.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-PYTHON-PWNTOOLS-1047345"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-74" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-04-06T23:11:00Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-01-08T12:15:00Z"
  }
}