# CVE-2023-32317: Autolab tar slip in cheat checker functionality (`GHSL-2023-082`)

> Authenticated instructors can achieve arbitrary file write and potential code execution by uploading malicious tar archives to the MOSS cheat checker.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.7 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 26 May 2023
- **Updated:** 2 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-h8g5-vhm4-wx6g

## What is CVE-2023-32317?

CVE-2023-32317 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Autolab, published on 26 May 2023. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Autolab is a course management service that enables auto-graded programming assignments. A Tar slip vulnerability was found in the MOSS cheat checker functionality of Autolab. To exploit this vulnerability an authenticated attacker with instructor permissions needs to upload a specially crafted Tar file. Both "Base File Tar" and "Additional file archive" can be fed with Tar files that contain paths outside their target directories (e.g.,  `../../../../tmp/tarslipped2.sh`). When the MOSS cheat checker is started the files inside of the archives are expanded to the attacker-chosen locations. This issue may lead to arbitrary file write within the scope of the running process.  This issue has been addressed in version 2.11.0. Users are advised to upgrade.

Weakness: CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-32317?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Autolabproject Autolab.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-32317?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-32317 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2023-32317 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-32317 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Autolab

- [CVE-2022-41955](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-41955/): Autolab is vulnerable to remote code execution (RCE) via MOSS functionality (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2022-0936](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0936/): Cross-site Scripting (XSS) - Stored in autolab/autolab (high 7.6)
- [CVE-2024-53258](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-53258/): download_all_submissions allows student to download another student's submissions in Autolab (high 7.1)
- [CVE-2024-49376](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-49376/): Autolab Has Misconfigured Reset Password Permissions (high 7.1)
- [CVE-2024-53260](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-53260/): Course Roster vulnerable to CSV Injection in Autolab (medium 6.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-32317 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-32317 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Autolab, published on 26 May 2023. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-32317 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Autolab. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

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-2023-32317/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-32317/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-32317
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-32317
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-32317

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-32317/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.