CVE-2014-1928 python-gnupg's shell_quote function does not properly escape characters

Medium 4.6 Published 25 Oct 2014 Updated 6 Aug 2024

Attackers can execute arbitrary code via shell metacharacters due to improper escaping in the python-gnupg library's shell_quote function.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: Not needed
Attackable: Over the internet
Victim action needed: Not needed
Fix: Available

What is CVE-2014-1928?

CVE-2014-1928 is a medium-severity command injection vulnerability in n/a, published on 25 Oct 2014. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

Official description

The shell_quote function in python-gnupg 0.3.5 does not properly escape characters, which allows context-dependent attackers to execute arbitrary code via shell metacharacters in unspecified vectors, as demonstrated using "\" (backslash) characters to form multi-command sequences, a different vulnerability than CVE-2014-1927. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2013-7323.

Weakness: CWE-20

Which versions are affected by CVE-2014-1928?

3 open source packages ship an affected version, including python-gnupg. It affects 1 product.

Package	Affected	Fixed in
`python-gnupg` PyPI	All versions	`0.3.6`
`python-gnupg` PyPI	From `0.3.5`	`0.3.6`
`python-gnupg` PyPI	From `0.3.5`	`0.3.6`

Products include Python-Gnupg Project Python-Gnupg.

How do I fix CVE-2014-1928?

Upgrade python-gnupg to 0.3.6 or later.

Upgrade, and pass arguments to programs as a list instead of through a shell. More about Command injection.

Is CVE-2014-1928 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2014-1928 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Sources

Also known as DEBIAN-CVE-2014-1928, GHSA-2jc8-4r6g-282j, PYSEC-2014-91.