CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2023-32321 — CKAN is an open-source data management system for powering data hubs and data portals

Critical CVSS 9.8

CKAN is an open-source data management system for powering data hubs and data portals. Multiple vulnerabilities have been discovered in Ckan which may lead to remote code execution. An arbitrary file write in `resource_create` and `package_update` actions, using the `ResourceUploader` object. Also reachable via `package_create`, `package_revise`, and `package_patch` via calls to `package_update`. Remote code execution via unsafe pickle loading, via Beaker's session store when configured to use the file session store backend. Potential DOS due to lack of a length check on the resource id. Information disclosure: A user with permission to create a resource can access any other resource on the system if they know the id, even if they don't have access to it. Resource overwrite: A user with permission to create a resource can overwrite any resource if they know the id, even if they don't have access to it. A user with permissions to create or edit a dataset can upload a resource with a specially crafted id to write the uploaded file in an arbitrary location. This can be leveraged to Remote Code Execution via Beaker's insecure pickle loading. All the above listed vulnerabilities have b…

Severity
Critical
CVSS
9.8 (3.1)
Published
2023-05-26
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
software/application
Weaknesses
CWE-20

Affected products

  • okfn / ckan
  • okfn / ckan / 2.10.0

Matched remediation archetype

Command, code, expression, and template injection

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Check exposure

  • Trace untrusted values to process execution, interpreters, evaluators, template engines, dynamic imports, and administrative scripting features.
  • Determine whether the affected path is reachable across each trust boundary and which service account or host privilege it inherits.
  • Review configuration for optional execution features, unsafe compatibility modes, and shell invocation.

Remediate safely

  • Replace string-built commands or evaluated code with fixed operations and structured argument APIs that do not invoke a shell.
  • Use strict allowlists for operation identifiers and reject unexpected input before it reaches any interpreter.
  • Update the affected component and add inert regression tests covering metacharacters, encoding variants, and alternate request paths.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

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