high
7.5
CWE
909 335 665
Advisory Published
CVE Published
Updated

CVE-2018-14647

First published: Fri Sep 21 2018(Updated: )

A flaw was found in python's _elementtree.c module, a wrapper for libexpat XML parser. xml.etree C accelerator don't call XML_SetHashSalt(), failing to properly initiate the random hash seed from a good CSPRNG source and making hash collision attacks with carefully crafted XML data easier. Upstream bug: <a href="https://bugs.python.org/issue34623">https://bugs.python.org/issue34623</a>.

Credit: secalert@redhat.com

Affected SoftwareAffected VersionHow to fix
redhat/python<3.7.1
3.7.1
redhat/python<3.6.7
3.6.7
redhat/python<2.7.16
2.7.16
debian/python2.7
2.7.18-8+deb11u1
Python 2.7>=2.7.0<=2.7.15
Python 2.7>=3.4.0<=3.4.9
Python 2.7>=3.5.0<=3.5.6
Python 2.7>=3.6.0<=3.6.6
Python 2.7=3.7.0
Ubuntu=12.04
Ubuntu=14.04
Ubuntu=16.04
Ubuntu=18.04
Debian Linux=8.0
Debian Linux=9.0
Red Hat Fedora=30
SUSE Linux=15.1
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop=7.0
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server=7.0
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation=7.0

Remedy

https://bugs.python.org/issue34623

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Reference Links

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the severity of CVE-2018-14647?

    CVE-2018-14647 is classified as a medium severity vulnerability due to its potential for hash collision attacks.

  • How do I fix CVE-2018-14647?

    To address CVE-2018-14647, update your Python installation to version 3.7.1, 3.6.7, or 2.7.16 depending on your environment.

  • Which versions of Python are affected by CVE-2018-14647?

    CVE-2018-14647 affects Python versions prior to 2.7.16, 3.6.7, and 3.7.1.

  • What impact does CVE-2018-14647 have on XML parsing?

    CVE-2018-14647 can lead to hash collision vulnerabilities when processing XML due to improper initialization of the random hash seed.

  • Is CVE-2018-14647 specific to any operating system?

    CVE-2018-14647 is not specific to any operating system but affects Python across multiple distributions including Red Hat and Debian.

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