#VU51178 XML injection in pyxdg - CVE-2019-12761

Vulnerability identifier: #VU51178

Vulnerability risk: Medium

CVSSv4.0: 6.6 [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:P/U:Green]

CVE-ID: CVE-2019-12761

CWE-ID: CWE-91

Exploitation vector: Network

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
pyxdg
Other software / Other software solutions

Vendor: Freedesktop.org

Description

The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the target system.

The vulnerability exists due to improper input validation when processing XML data in xdg/Menu.py before an eval call. A remote unauthenticated attacker can pass specially crafted XML data to the application and perform arbitrary actions on the system.

Successful exploitation of this vulnerability may result in complete compromise of vulnerable system.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

pyxdg: before 0.26

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External links
https://gist.github.com/dhondta/b45cd41f4186110a354dc7272916feba
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/06/msg00006.html
https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-PYTHON-PYXDG-174562

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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. However, proof of concept for this vulnerability is available.