CVE-2023-38673: Exploring the Command Injection Vulnerability in PaddlePaddle before 2.5.

Have you heard about the recently discovered vulnerability bearing the identifier CVE-2023-38673? If not, sit tight as you are about to dive into an in-depth look at this crucial security issue. The vulnerability affects a popular deep learning platform called PaddlePaddle, specifically, its versions earlier than 2.5.. It revolves around a command injection flaw in the fs.py file, which means that a malicious individual could potentially execute arbitrary commands on the host system.

Detail the nature of this specific vulnerability, including code snippets

3. Link to the appropriate references and resources that will help you better understand and mitigate this risk.

PaddlePaddle: A Brief Introduction

PaddlePaddle (PArallel Distributed Deep LEarning) is an open-source deep learning platform developed by Baidu. It comes with support for a wide range of machine learning techniques and is designed to allow developers to easily customize and configure models. For more details on this platform, head to their official website at https://www.paddlepaddle.org.cn/.

The Vulnerability: A Command Injection in the fs.py File

CVE-2023-38673 primarily concerns a command injection vulnerability in the fs.py file. This file is responsible for handling interactions between the local file system and the application. As such, improper input validation within this component could expose the system to potential security risks.

Upon further investigation, it was discovered that unsanitized input, in the form of a user-provided argument, is passed directly into a command execution function. This makes it possible for the attacker to inject and execute arbitrary commands on the host operating system.

Here's a simple code snippet that illustrates the issue

# Vulnerable code snippet from fs.py
def manage_files(file_path):
    # ...
    os_command = f"mymodule -i {file_path}"
    os.system(os_command)
    # ...

In the code snippet shown above, the file_path variable is passed into the manage_files() function without any input validation or sanitization. As a result, the attacker can inject arbitrary commands that will be executed along with the intended command.

To fully appreciate the gravity of the risk that this vulnerability represents, let's examine an exploit that leverages this loophole:

# Exploit example
exploit_payload = "; cat /etc/passwd"
file_path = f"path/to/valid/file{exploit_payload}"
manage_files(file_path)

In this exploit example, the attacker concatenates the arbitrary command "; cat /etc/passwd" to the end of a valid file path. This causes the manage_files() function to inadvertently execute the injected command, resulting in the unintended disclosure of sensitive information stored within the "/etc/passwd" Unix file.

Original References and Exploit Details

For a comprehensive look at this vulnerability issue, consult the original references and resources listed below:

- CVE-2023-38673 Details
- Official PaddlePaddle Repository

To address this security concern, it is strongly advised that you upgrade to PaddlePaddle 2.5. or a later version since these releases are not affected by the flaw. Additionally, always employ great caution when utilizing input from external sources in the processing of commands, making sure to employ robust input validation and sanitization mechanisms.

Timeline

Published on: 07/26/2023 12:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 07/31/2023 18:12:00 UTC