#VU80564 XML External Entity injection in Python - CVE-2022-48565

Vulnerability identifier: #VU80564

Vulnerability risk: Medium

CVSSv4.0: 8.1 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P/U:Green]

CVE-ID: CVE-2022-48565

CWE-ID: CWE-611

Exploitation vector: Network

Exploit availability: Yes

Vulnerable software:
Python
Universal components / Libraries / Scripting languages

Vendor: Python.org

Description

The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to gain access to sensitive information.

The vulnerability exists due to insufficient validation of user-supplied XML input within the plistlib module. A remote attacker can pass a specially crafted XML code to the affected application and view contents of arbitrary files on the system or initiate requests to external systems.

Successful exploitation of the vulnerability may allow an attacker to view contents of arbitrary file on the server or perform network scanning of internal and external infrastructure.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Python: before 3.7.10, 3.10.0, 3.7.10, 3.7.10

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External links
https://bugs.python.org/issue42051
https://github.com/python/cpython/commit/05ee790f4d1cd8725a90b54268fc1dfe5b4d1fa2
https://github.com/python/cpython/commit/479553c7c11306a09ce34edb6ef208133b7b95fe
https://github.com/python/cpython/commit/e512bc799e3864fe3b1351757261762d63471efc

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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.