Here is the combined list of vulnerabilities, formatted as markdown, with duplicates removed and all details preserved:
This document outlines the identified vulnerabilities, their descriptions, impacts, ranks, mitigations, preconditions, source code analysis, and security test cases.
-
Description:
- The
changelog.py
script takes a version tag as a command-line argument (sys.argv[1]
). - This tag is then directly incorporated into shell commands executed by the script using
subprocess.check_output
. - Specifically, the tag is used in the following commands:
git log --pretty=format:'%h %D' {last_release}..
git log --format='%an--sep--%B' -n1 {sha}
git log --format='%as' -n1 {sha}
- If an attacker can control the value of
sys.argv[1]
(the version tag), they can inject arbitrary shell commands that will be executed by the script. - In a real-world scenario, while an external attacker cannot directly control the execution of
changelog.py
, if there's a workflow or automation that uses user-provided data to generate release tags and subsequently runs this script, it could be exploited. For example, if a CI/CD pipeline uses a user-provided version tag from a Git tag or branch name to trigger a release process that includes runningchangelog.py
.
- The
-
Impact:
- Critical
- Successful command injection can allow the attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the server with the privileges of the user running the
changelog.py
script. - This can lead to complete compromise of the server, including data theft, modification, and denial of service.
-
Vulnerability Rank: Critical
-
Currently implemented mitigations:
- None
- The script directly uses the user-provided version tag in shell commands without any sanitization or validation.
-
Missing mitigations:
- Input Sanitization: The version tag from
sys.argv[1]
should be strictly validated and sanitized before being used in shell commands. - Command Parameterization: Instead of string formatting, use command parameterization features provided by
subprocess
to pass arguments safely to shell commands, preventing injection. For example, use list forsubprocess.run
arguments and avoidshell=True
.
- Input Sanitization: The version tag from
-
Preconditions:
- An attacker needs to find a way to influence the input to
changelog.py
script. This is typically not directly exposed to external attackers. However, if the release process is automated and triggered by user-controlled inputs (e.g., git tags, branch names, CI/CD pipeline triggers), then exploitation is possible.
- An attacker needs to find a way to influence the input to
-
Source code analysis:
- File:
/code/changelog.py
import subprocess import sys tag = sys.argv[1] git_log = subprocess.check_output( f"git log --pretty=format:'%h %D' {last_release}..", # Vulnerable line 1 shell=True, ).decode('utf8').split('\n') # ... author, description = subprocess.check_output( f"git log --format='%an--sep--%B' -n1 {sha}", # Vulnerable line 2 shell=True, ).decode('utf8').split('\n')[0].split('--sep--') # ... date = subprocess.check_output( f"git log --format='%as' -n1 {sha}", # Vulnerable line 3 shell=True, ).decode('utf8').strip()
- The code directly embeds the
tag
variable, which is derived fromsys.argv[1]
, into f-strings that are then executed as shell commands usingsubprocess.check_output(..., shell=True)
. - There is no input validation or sanitization performed on the
tag
variable before it's used in the shell commands. - This allows for command injection because a malicious tag value could contain shell metacharacters or commands that would be interpreted by the shell when executing the
git log
commands.
- File:
-
Security test case:
- Pre-requisite: Need to be able to execute
changelog.py
script. Assume we can simulate the release process locally. - Steps:
- Prepare a malicious version tag. For example,
v1.0.0; touch /tmp/pwned
. This tag attempts to execute thetouch /tmp/pwned
command after the intended version tag part. - Execute the
changelog.py
script with the malicious tag as a command-line argument:./changelog.py 'v1.0.0; touch /tmp/pwned'
- Check if the command injection was successful. In this case, check if the file
/tmp/pwned
was created. - If the file
/tmp/pwned
exists, it confirms that the command injection vulnerability is present.
- Prepare a malicious version tag. For example,
- Pre-requisite: Need to be able to execute
-
Description: The project’s settings file hardcodes the Django secret key (e.g.,
SECRET_KEY = '58$1jvc332=lyfk_m^jl6ody$7pbk18nm95==!r$7m5!2dp%l@'
) within the source code. An attacker who obtains the source code (for example, by browsing a public repository) can extract this key and use it to:- Forge session cookies and CSRF tokens.
- Impersonate users by creating or modifying signed data.
- Possibly escalate privileges by tampering with cryptographically protected values.
-
Impact:
- Critical compromise of application security. With the secret key known, an attacker may hijack sessions, forge authentication tokens, and bypass security measures based on token signing.
-
Vulnerability Rank: Critical
-
Currently Implemented Mitigations:
- There is no mitigation in place—the key is stored as a literal in the settings module.
-
Missing Mitigations:
- • Pull the secret key out of source code and load it from a secure environment variable or secrets manager.
- • Enforce secret rotation and avoid committing production secrets to version control.
-
Preconditions:
- The source code is visible (e.g. via a public repository) or accessible through code leaks.
-
Source Code Analysis:
- In
/code/test_project/settings/base.py
, the file plainly defines:
SECRET_KEY = '58$1jvc332=lyfk_m^jl6ody$7pbk18nm95==!r$7m5!2dp%l@'
- No fallback or secure import is performed.
- In
-
Security Test Case:
- Access the public repository and locate the settings file (e.g.
settings/base.py
). - Extract the hardcoded secret key from the file.
- Using a tool (or custom script), craft session cookies or tamper with CSRF tokens by signing them with the extracted key.
- Attempt to use the forged cookies/tokens to authenticate or perform sensitive actions on the deployed application.
- Verify that the attacker can bypass standard protections.
- Access the public repository and locate the settings file (e.g.
-
Description: The settings specify
ALLOWED_HOSTS = ['*']
, which tells Django to accept requests from any host header. An attacker can exploit this by sending requests with a forged Host header to:- Abuse URL generation (e.g. in password reset emails) by injecting attacker-controlled hostnames.
- Facilitate host header poisoning or DNS rebinding attacks.
-
Impact:
- High risk of host header injection that can lead to phishing, cache poisoning, and redirect attacks—potentially tricking users or other systems into interacting with a malicious endpoint.
-
Vulnerability Rank: High
-
Currently Implemented Mitigations:
- No mitigation is present; the project simply allows any host.
-
Missing Mitigations:
- • Restrict ALLOWED_HOSTS to a whitelist of known, legitimate domain names (e.g.
['yourdomain.com']
). - • Validate the Host header against an approved list before proceeding with request processing.
- • Restrict ALLOWED_HOSTS to a whitelist of known, legitimate domain names (e.g.
-
Preconditions:
- The deployed application is accessible over the Internet, and ALLOWED_HOSTS is not overridden by an environment–specific configuration.
-
Source Code Analysis:
- In
/code/test_project/settings/base.py
the configuration is directly set as:
ALLOWED_HOSTS = ['*']
- This setting leaves the application vulnerable to any Host header manipulation.
- In
-
Security Test Case:
- Use a tool such as curl, Postman, or Burp Suite to send an HTTP request to the application endpoint with a custom Host header (for example,
Host: evil.com
). - Confirm that the server processes the request normally despite the non–approved header.
- Create a scenario where the application generates absolute URLs (such as in email templates) and verify that the forged Host header appears.
- Document that unrestricted host names allow manipulation.
- Use a tool such as curl, Postman, or Burp Suite to send an HTTP request to the application endpoint with a custom Host header (for example,
-
Description: The DEBUG setting is derived from an environment variable with a fallback that inspects command–line arguments. In environments where the
DEBUG
environment variable is not set explicitly, the fallback logic may enable DEBUG mode (especially when commands like “runserver” or “pytest” are detected). An external attacker could force errors that trigger detailed debug pages containing sensitive stack traces, configuration data, and other internal details. -
Impact:
- High risk of information disclosure. Verbose error output may leak sensitive details like file paths, database settings, and even parts of the source code, aiding an attacker in further exploits.
-
Vulnerability Rank: High
-
Currently Implemented Mitigations:
- The code attempts to set DEBUG using:
DEBUG = os.environ.get('DEBUG', False) if 'DEBUG' not in os.environ: for cmd in ('runserver', 'pytest', 'py.test'): if cmd in sys.argv[0] or len(sys.argv) > 1 and cmd in sys.argv[1]: DEBUG = True continue
- However, this fallback can inadvertently enable DEBUG mode outside of testing.
-
Missing Mitigations:
- • Remove fallback logic that enables DEBUG mode based on command–line inspection.
- • Require an explicit setting (or a default safe value) for DEBUG in production environments.
- • Consider adding a safeguard that prevents running with DEBUG=True in production deployments.
-
Preconditions:
- The production environment is deployed without an explicit
DEBUG
environment variable setting, causing the fallback to enable debug mode.
- The production environment is deployed without an explicit
-
Source Code Analysis:
- In
/code/test_project/settings/base.py
, the fallback logic may set DEBUG to True if environment variables are missing and certain commands are detected. This logic is risky because it does not distinguish between a development command and a production deployment.
- In
-
Security Test Case:
- Deploy the application in an environment where the
DEBUG
variable is not defined. - Trigger an error by accessing a non–existent page or causing an exception (e.g., sending an invalid parameter).
- Observe that a detailed debug page is rendered, showing the full traceback and sensitive information.
- Verify that this page is accessible to unauthenticated external users.
- Document the exposure of internal details.
- Deploy the application in an environment where the
-
Description: Some autocomplete endpoints (for example, the one in the
linked_data
app) use a “forward” mechanism to filter querysets based on JSON–encoded GET parameters. In theLinkedDataView
, the code retrieves a forwarded parameter (e.g."owner"
) and applies it directly to the queryset:owner = self.forwarded.get('owner', None) if owner: qs = qs.filter(owner_id=owner)
Because the value for
owner
is taken directly from the request without verification, an attacker can supply an arbitrary owner identifier—accessing data that belongs to users they should not see. -
Impact:
- High risk of unauthorized data disclosure (an Insecure Direct Object Reference vulnerability). Attackers can manipulate forwarded parameters to retrieve data associated with other users, breaching data confidentiality and privacy.
-
Vulnerability Rank: High
-
Currently Implemented Mitigations:
- Some parts of the project (for instance, the
secure_data
endpoint) correctly tie data to the authenticatedrequest.user
, but endpoints like the one inlinked_data
(and similar patterns inrename_forward
) lack such checks.
- Some parts of the project (for instance, the
-
Missing Mitigations:
- • Validate that any forwarded parameter (such as owner ID) matches the identity or permissions of the authenticated user.
- • Enforce proper authentication for these endpoints and deny filtering based solely on client–provided forwarded values.
-
Preconditions:
- The endpoint (e.g.
/linked_data/
) is accessible without sufficient access control, and the forwarded parameters are taken directly from the client request (via JSON–encoded GET parameters).
- The endpoint (e.g.
-
Source Code Analysis:
- In
/code/test_project/linked_data/urls.py
, the view’sget_queryset()
method processes the forwarded “owner” parameter without verifying that it belongs torequest.user
:
class LinkedDataView(autocomplete.Select2QuerySetView): def get_queryset(self): qs = super(LinkedDataView, self).get_queryset() owner = self.forwarded.get('owner', None) if owner: qs = qs.filter(owner_id=owner) return qs
- This design assumes that the forwarded data is “trusted”—which is not the case in a public instance.
- In
-
Security Test Case:
- As an external attacker (or using an unauthorized account), send a GET request to the
/linked_data/
endpoint with a manipulated forwarding parameter in the query string. For example:GET /linked_data/?forward={"owner": "1"}
- Observe that the response includes autocomplete suggestions filtered by
owner_id = 1
regardless of the attacker’s own user ID. - Try altering the forwarded “owner” value to different numbers and verify that data belonging to other users is returned.
- Document that the endpoint returns data not limited to the authenticated user, confirming an insecure data–filtering flaw.
- As an external attacker (or using an unauthorized account), send a GET request to the
-
Description:
- An attacker can send a POST request to the
Select2ListViewAutocomplete
orSelect2ProvidedValueListViewAutocomplete
views with atext
parameter. - These views, designed for handling list-based autocompletes, implement a
create
method that directly returns the providedtext
without any validation or sanitization. - If the autocomplete widget using these views is configured with
create_field
, it enables the "Create 'text'" option in the dropdown. - When a user (potentially an admin or other authorized user in certain admin configurations) selects this "Create" option and submits the form, the
create
method in the view is called via a POST request, adding the unvalidatedtext
directly into the choices. - In the provided
Select2ListViewAutocomplete
andSelect2ProvidedValueListViewAutocomplete
views, thecreate
method returns the unsanitized user input directly. This input is then displayed as a selectable option in the autocomplete widget for subsequent requests. - If an attacker provides malicious JavaScript code as the
text
parameter, this code will be rendered in the HTML when the autocomplete suggestions are displayed, leading to Cross-Site Scripting (XSS).
- An attacker can send a POST request to the
-
Impact:
- Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability.
- An attacker can inject malicious JavaScript code into the application.
- When an authorized user views the page containing the vulnerable autocomplete widget, the injected script will execute in their browser.
- This can lead to session hijacking, account takeover, data theft, or other malicious actions performed in the context of the victim user's session.
-
Vulnerability Rank: High
-
Currently Implemented Mitigations:
- None. The
create
methods inSelect2ListView
andSelect2ProvidedValueListView
indal/autocomplete.py
anddal_select2/views.py
, and the example views in/code/test_project/select2_list/views.py
do not perform any validation or sanitization of the input text.
- None. The
-
Missing Mitigations:
- Input validation and sanitization in the
create
methods ofSelect2ListView
andSelect2ProvidedValueListView
in bothdal/autocomplete.py
anddal_select2/views.py
. - HTML escaping of the text rendered in the autocomplete suggestions, especially when displaying the "Create 'text'" option and the created options themselves.
- Input validation and sanitization in the
-
Preconditions:
- The
Select2ListViewAutocomplete
orSelect2ProvidedValueListViewAutocomplete
views (or similar subclasses usingSelect2ListView
orSelect2ProvidedValueListView
from eitherdal/autocomplete.py
ordal_select2/views.py
) are used withListSelect2
widget. - The
ListSelect2
widget is configured withcreate_field
option enabled (implicitly or explicitly by settingdata-tags="1"
or similar). - An attacker can send POST requests to the autocomplete view URL.
- An authorized user (e.g., admin) views a page containing the vulnerable autocomplete widget and triggers the autocomplete functionality by typing in the field and potentially selecting the "Create" option after an attacker has injected malicious code.
- The
-
Source code analysis:
dal/autocomplete.py
anddal_select2/views.py
-Select2ListView.create
andSelect2ProvidedValueListView.create
:
# dal/autocomplete.py class Select2ListView(ViewMixin, View): # ... def post(self, request): # ... if self.create_field and 'text' in request.POST: text = request.POST['text'] if self.has_create_permission(request): new_item = self.create(text) # Vulnerable line if new_item is None: return HttpResponseBadRequest('Create not allowed') # ... return HttpResponse(json.dumps({ 'id': self.get_created_item_value(new_item), 'text': self.get_created_item_text(new_item), }), content_type='application/json') return HttpResponseBadRequest('Create not allowed') def create(self, text): """Create and return new item from text, or None.""" raise ImproperlyConfigured( "'create' method must be implemented to use create_field" ) class Select2ProvidedValueListView(Select2ListView): # ... def create(self, text): """Create and return new item from text, or None.""" raise ImproperlyConfigured( "'create' method must be implemented to use create_field" ) # dal_select2/views.py class Select2ListView(ViewMixin, View): # ... def post(self, request, *args, **kwargs): """Add an option to the autocomplete list. ... """ if not hasattr(self, 'create'): raise ImproperlyConfigured('Missing "create()"') text = request.POST.get('text', None) if text is None: return http.HttpResponseBadRequest() text = self.create(text) # Vulnerable line if text is None: return http.HttpResponseBadRequest() return http.JsonResponse({ 'id': text, 'text': text, }) def create(self, text): """Create and return new item from text, or None.""" raise ImproperlyConfigured( "'create' method must be implemented to use create_field" )
- The base classes
Select2ListView
andSelect2ProvidedValueListView
indal/autocomplete.py
anddal_select2/views.py
expect thecreate
method to be overridden in subclasses to provide actual creation logic. - If subclasses (like example views or user-defined views) implement
create
like this (example from previous analysis, but applicable to both locations):
class CustomSelect2ListViewAutocomplete(Select2ListView): # or Select2ListView from dal_select2/views.py def create(self, text): return text # Unsafe: Returns unsanitized input directly # ...
- They directly return the user-provided
text
without any sanitization. This is the root cause of the XSS vulnerability in both locations.
dal_select2/widgets.py
-ListSelect2
rendering:
- The
ListSelect2
widget, used in conjunction with these views, renders the options received from the view. If thetext
attribute in the JSON response from thecreate
method contains malicious JavaScript, it will be inserted into the HTML without proper escaping, leading to XSS when the browser renders the suggestions.
Visualization:
sequenceDiagram participant Attacker participant Browser participant Application participant Backend Attacker->Application: POST /test-autocomplete/ with text="<script>alert('XSS')</script>" Application->Backend: Call Select2ListView.create("<script>alert('XSS')</script>") Backend->Backend: Select2ListView.create returns "<script>alert('XSS')</script>" (unsanitized) Backend->Application: Response 200 OK with JSON: {'id': '<script>alert("XSS")</script>', 'text': '<script>alert("XSS")</script>'} Application->Browser: Response with HTML containing ListSelect2 widget Browser->Browser: User interacts with the ListSelect2 widget, triggering autocomplete Browser->Application: GET /test-autocomplete/?q=... Application->Backend: Select2ListView.get_list() returns list including "<script>alert('XSS')</script>" Backend->Application: Response 200 OK with JSON including {'id': '<script>alert("XSS")</script>', 'text': '<script>alert("XSS")</script>'} Application->Browser: Response with HTML for autocomplete suggestions, including unsanitized text Browser->Browser: Browser renders HTML, executes injected JavaScript alert('XSS')
-
Security Test Case:
-
Pre-requisites:
- Ensure the test project is set up and running.
- Access the URL for the
select2_list
test app, for example,/dal_single/
or/admin/select2_list/tmodel/add/
if the widget is used in admin. - Identify the URL used for the
ListSelect2
widget, which is likely/select2_list/test-autocomplete/
based on/code/test_project/select2_list/urls.py
and/code/test_project/select2_list/forms.py
.
-
Steps:
- Open a browser and navigate to the page containing the
ListSelect2
widget (e.g.,/dal_single/
). - Open the browser's developer tools (usually by pressing F12).
- In the developer tools, go to the "Network" tab to monitor network requests.
- In the
ListSelect2
input field, type some text to trigger the autocomplete suggestions. - Observe the network requests; you should see a GET request to
/select2_list/test-autocomplete/?q=...
. - Now, in the
ListSelect2
input field, type the following payload:<script>alert("XSS-ListSelect2")</script>
. - Look for the "Create '...' " option in the dropdown list. It should display "Create '<script>alert("XSS-ListSelect2")</script>'".
- Select this "Create" option. This will send a POST request in the background.
- Type some other characters in the input field again to trigger the autocomplete suggestions again.
- Expected Outcome: An alert box with "XSS-ListSelect2" should pop up in the browser, demonstrating successful XSS. If the alert doesn't appear immediately, inspect the HTML source of the autocomplete suggestions in the developer tools (Elements tab) to confirm that the
<script>
tag is injected into the HTML.
- Open a browser and navigate to the page containing the
-
This test case confirms that the create
functionality in Select2ListView
and Select2ProvidedValueListView
(in both dal/autocomplete.py
and dal_select2/views.py
) is vulnerable to Cross-Site Scripting due to the lack of input validation and sanitization.