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Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')

CVE-2020-15271

High
8.8/10

Summary

In lookatme (python/pypi package) versions prior to 2.3.0, the package automatically loaded the built-in "terminal" and "file_loader" extensions. Users that use lookatme to render untrusted markdown may have malicious shell commands automatically run on their system. This is fixed in version 2.3.0. As a workaround, the `lookatme/contrib/terminal.py` and `lookatme/contrib/file_loader.py` files may be manually deleted. Additionally, it is always recommended to be aware of what is being rendered with lookatme.

  • LOW
  • NETWORK
  • HIGH
  • UNCHANGED
  • REQUIRED
  • NONE
  • HIGH
  • HIGH

CWE-78 - OS Command Injection

The OS command injection weakness (also known as shell injection) is a vulnerability which enables an attacker to run arbitrary OS commands on a server. This is done by modifying the intended downstream OS command and injecting arbitrary commands, enabling the execution of unauthorized OS commands. This has the potential to fully compromise the application along with all of its data, and, if the compromised process does not follow the principle of least privileges, it may compromise other parts of the hosting infrastructure as well. This weakness is listed as number ten in the 'CWE Top 25 Most Dangerous Software Weaknesses'.

References

Advisory Timeline

  • Published