Overview
The CVE-2023-52288 is a high-risk vulnerability discovered in the flaskcode package, used in Python-based applications. This vulnerability exposes sensitive files to unauthenticated users, potentially leading to system compromise or significant data leakage. It is imperative for companies utilizing this package to understand the severity of this vulnerability and promptly implement mitigation strategies.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2023-52288
Severity: High (7.5 CVSS)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: Unauthorized access to sensitive system files, potential data leakage or system compromise
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Flaskcode | 0.0.8 and earlier
How the Exploit Works
The exploit takes advantage of a directory traversal vulnerability present in the flaskcode package for Python. An attacker can use a crafted GET request to a specific URI (/resource-data/
Conceptual Example Code
Here is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. This is a sample HTTP GET request to the vulnerable endpoint:
GET /resource-data/../../../etc/passwd.txt HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
In this example, the attacker is attempting to read the `/etc/passwd` file, a critical system file containing user account details. The `../../../` is a common directory traversal technique used to navigate up multiple directory levels.
Mitigation Guidance
The vulnerability can be mitigated by applying the vendor-supplied patch. If the patch cannot be applied immediately, a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can be used as a temporary mitigation measure to detect and block exploit attempts. Additionally, users are encouraged to regularly update the flaskcode package to the latest version to prevent future vulnerabilities.

