CVE-2020-1747: Input Validation

Published Feb 26, 2020
·
Updated

A vulnerability was discovered in the PyYAML library in versions before 5.3.1, where it is susceptible to arbitrary code execution when it processes untrusted YAML files through the fullload method or with the FullLoader loader. Applications that use the library to process untrusted input may be vulnerable to this flaw. An attacker could use this flaw to execute arbitrary code on the system by abusing the python/object/new constructor.

Other sources

A vulnerability was discovered in the PyYAML library, where it is susceptible to arbitrary code execution when it processes untrusted YAML files through the fullload method or with the FullLoader loader. Applications that use the library to process untrusted input may be vulnerable to this flaw. An attacker could use this flaw to execute arbitrary code on the system by abusing the python/object/new constructor.

An arbitrary code execution was discovered in PyYAML when YAML files are parsed by FullLoader. This loader is used by default by yaml.load() when no loader is specified or when yaml.fullload() is used. Applications that use PyYAML to parse untrusted input may be vulnerable to this flaw, which would allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code on the system, by abusing the python/object/new constructor.

Red Hat

PyYAML could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the system, caused by an error when processing untrusted YAML files through the fullload method or with the FullLoader loader. By abusing the python/object/new constructor, an attacker could exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code on the system.

IBM

Affected Software

9 affected componentsFixes available
redhat/PyYAML<5.3.1
5.3.1
pip/pyyaml>=5.1b7<5.3.1
5.3.1
PyYAML PyYAML>=5.1<5.3.1
Fedoraproject Fedora=30
Fedoraproject Fedora=31
Fedoraproject Fedora=32
Fedoraproject Fedora=33
openSUSE Leap=15.1
Oracle Communications Cloud Native Core Network Function Cloud Native Environment=22.1.0

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Upgrade

    Upgrade redhat/PyYAML to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 5.3.1
  2. Upgrade

    Upgrade pip/pyyaml to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 5.3.1
  3. Upgrade

    Upgrade PyYAML to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 5.3.1
  4. Configuration

    When parsing untrusted YAML input, use `yaml.safe_load` or the SafeLoader loader instead of processing via `full_load`/`FullLoader`.

    PyYAML YAML parsing loader used for untrusted input = yaml.safe_load or SafeLoader

Event History

Mar 2, 2020
CVE Published
12:00 AM
Data Sourced
12:00 AM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software
Mar 24, 2020
CVE Published
via MITRE·01:56 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·01:56 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
Data Sourced
via NVD·03:15 PM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software
Oct 9, 2020
Data Sourced
via IBM·12:00 AM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Apr 20, 2021
Advisory Published
via GitHub·04:14 PM
Sep 11, 58461
Event
07:23 AM

Parent advisories

This vulnerability appears in the following advisories.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is CVE-2020-1747?

CVE-2020-1747 is a vulnerability in the PyYAML library that can allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the system.

2

What is the severity level of CVE-2020-1747?

CVE-2020-1747 has a severity level of critical.

3

How does CVE-2020-1747 affect PyYAML?

CVE-2020-1747 affects PyYAML versions before 5.3.1.

4

How can an attacker exploit CVE-2020-1747?

An attacker can exploit CVE-2020-1747 by processing untrusted YAML files through the full_load method or with the FullLoader loader.

5

How can I fix CVE-2020-1747?

To fix CVE-2020-1747, update PyYAML to version 5.3.1 or later.

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