#VU88540 Data Handling in pip - CVE-2018-20225

Vulnerability identifier: #VU88540

Vulnerability risk: Medium

CVSSv4.0: 4.8 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Green]

CVE-ID: CVE-2018-20225

CWE-ID: CWE-19

Exploitation vector: Network

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
pip
Universal components / Libraries / Programming Languages & Components

Vendor: Python Packaging Authority

Description

The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to compromise the affected system.

The issue exists due to the way pip handles software versioning during installation with --extra-index-url option enabled, which results in the version with the highest version number to be installed, even if the user had intended to obtain a private package from a private index. A remote attacker compromise the repository and force installation of a malicious package.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

pip: 0.3 - 23.3.1

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External links
https://cowlicks.website/posts/arbitrary-code-execution-from-pips-extra-index-url.html
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1835736

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote non-authenticated attacker via the Internet.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.