# CVE-2022-23531: Arbitrary file write when scanning a specially-crafted local PyPI package

> Attackers can write arbitrary files on the host by tricking users into scanning a malicious PyPI package with GuardDog.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 16 Dec 2022
- **Updated:** 17 Apr 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-rp2v-v467-q9vq, PYSEC-2022-42994

## What is CVE-2022-23531?

CVE-2022-23531 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in DataDog guarddog, published on 16 Dec 2022. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

GuardDog is a CLI tool to identify malicious PyPI packages. Versions prior to 0.1.5 are vulnerable to Relative Path Traversal when scanning a specially-crafted local PyPI package. Running GuardDog against a specially-crafted package can allow an attacker to write an arbitrary file on the machine where GuardDog is executed due to a path traversal vulnerability when extracting the .tar.gz file of the package being scanned, which exists by design in the tarfile.TarFile.extractall function. This issue is patched in version 0.1.5.

Weakness: CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory), CWE-23 (Relative Path Traversal)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-23531?

3 open source packages ship an affected version, including guarddog. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `guarddog` | PyPI | All versions | 0.1.5 |
| `guarddog` | PyPI | All versions | 0.1.5 |
| `guarddog` | PyPI | All versions | 0.1.5 |

Products: Datadoghq Guarddog.

## How do I fix CVE-2022-23531?

Upgrade guarddog to 0.1.5 or later.

## Is CVE-2022-23531 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-23531 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in DataDog guarddog

- [CVE-2026-22871](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-22871/): GuardDog Path Traversal Vulnerability Leads to Arbitrary File Overwrite and RCE (high 8.7)
- [CVE-2026-22870](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-22870/): GuardDog Zip Bomb Vulnerability in safe_extract() Allows DoS (high 7.1)
- [CVE-2022-23530](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-23530/): GuardDog vulnerable to arbitrary file write when scanning a specially-crafted remote PyPI package (medium 5.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2022-23531 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-23531 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in DataDog guarddog, published on 16 Dec 2022. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-23531 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- guarddog (PyPI): affected all versions; fixed in 0.1.5
- guarddog (PyPI): affected all versions; fixed in 0.1.5
- guarddog (PyPI): affected all versions; fixed in 0.1.5

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-23531/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-23531/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-23531
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-23531
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-23531

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-23531/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.