What is CVE-2020-5262?

CVE-2020-5262 is a critical-severity security vulnerability in easybuild-framework (pip), affecting versions < 4.1.2. It is fixed in 4.1.2.

How severe is CVE-2020-5262?

CVE-2020-5262 has a CVSS score of 7.7 (Critical). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.

Which versions of easybuild-framework are affected by CVE-2020-5262?

easybuild-framework (pip) versions < 4.1.2 is affected.

Is there a fix for CVE-2020-5262?

Yes. CVE-2020-5262 is fixed in 4.1.2. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is CVE-2020-5262 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2020-5262 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk.

What actually determines whether CVE-2020-5262 is exploitable, and how bad it is?

Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.

How do I fix CVE-2020-5262?

Upgrade easybuild-framework to 4.1.2 or later.

CVE-2020-5262 in easybuild-framework

Q: How severe is CVE-2020-5262?

CVE-2020-5262 has a CVSS score of 7.7 (Critical). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.

Q: Which versions of easybuild-framework are affected by CVE-2020-5262?

easybuild-framework (pip) versions < 4.1.2 is affected.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2020-5262?

Yes. CVE-2020-5262 is fixed in 4.1.2. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is CVE-2020-5262 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2020-5262 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk.

Q: What actually determines whether CVE-2020-5262 is exploitable, and how bad it is?

Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.

Q: How do I fix CVE-2020-5262?

Upgrade easybuild-framework to 4.1.2 or later.

Summary

GitHub personal access token leaking into temporary EasyBuild (debug) logs

Workarounds

avoid using the GitHub integration features (see https://easybuild.readthedocs.io/en/latest/Integration_with_GitHub.html) with EasyBuild versions older than version 4.1.2;
don't share top-level EasyBuild (debug) log files with others, unless you are sure your GitHub token is not included in them;
clean up temporary EasyBuild log files in /tmpon the system(s) where you`re using EasyBuild

References

https://github.com/easybuilders/easybuild-framework/pull/3248 (PR that fixes the issue)
(release announcement to EasyBuild mailing list)

For more information

Open an issue in the easybuild-framework repository
Email us at [email protected]

Impact

The GitHub Personal Access Token (PAT) used by EasyBuild for the GitHub integration features (like --new-pr, --from-pr, etc.) is shown in plain text in EasyBuild debug log files.

Scope:

the log message only appears in the top-level log file, not in the individual software installation logs (see https://easybuild.readthedocs.io/en/latest/Logfiles.html);
- as a consequence, tokens are not included in the partial log files that are uploaded into a gist when using --upload-test-report in combination with --from-pr, nor in the installation logs that are copied to the software installation directories;
the message is only logged when using --debug, so it will not appear when using the default EasyBuild configuration (only info messages are logged by default);
the log message is triggered via --from-pr, but also via various other GitHub integration options like --new-pr, --merge-pr, --close-pr, etc., but usually only appears in the temporary log file that is cleaned up automatically as soon as eb completes successfully;
you may have several debug log files that include your GitHub token in /tmp (or a different location if you've set the --tmpdir EasyBuild configuration option) on the systems where you use EasyBuild, but they are located in a subdirectory that is only accessible to your account (permissions set to 700);
the only way that a log file that may include your token could have been made public is if you shared it yourself, for example by copying the contents of the log file into a gist manually, or by sending a log file to someone;
for log files uploaded to GitHub, your token would be revoked automatically when GitHub notices it;

CVE-2020-5262 has a CVSS score of 7.7 (Critical). The vector is requires local access, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (4.1.2); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

easybuild-framework (< 4.1.2)

Security releases

easybuild-framework → 4.1.2 (pip)

Kodem intelligence

Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.

Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.

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See it in your environment New to Kodem? Get a demo →

Remediation advice

The issue is fixed with the changes in https://github.com/easybuilders/easybuild-framework/pull/3248.

This fix is included in EasyBuild v4.1.2 (released on Mon Mar 16th 2020), and in the master+ develop branches of the easybuild-framework repository since Mon Mar 16th 2020 (see https://github.com/easybuilders/easybuild-framework/pull/3248 and https://github.com/easybuilders/easybuild-framework/pull/3249 resp.).

Make sure you revoke the existing GitHub tokens you're using with EasyBuild (via https://github.com/settings/tokens), and install new ones using "eb --install-github-token --force" (see also https://easybuild.readthedocs.io/en/latest/Integration_with_GitHub.html#installing-a-github-token-install-github-token).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-5262? CVE-2020-5262 is a critical-severity security vulnerability in easybuild-framework (pip), affecting versions < 4.1.2. It is fixed in 4.1.2.
How severe is CVE-2020-5262? CVE-2020-5262 has a CVSS score of 7.7 (Critical). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
Which versions of easybuild-framework are affected by CVE-2020-5262? easybuild-framework (pip) versions < 4.1.2 is affected.
Is there a fix for CVE-2020-5262? Yes. CVE-2020-5262 is fixed in 4.1.2. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is CVE-2020-5262 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2020-5262 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
What actually determines whether CVE-2020-5262 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
How do I fix CVE-2020-5262? Upgrade easybuild-framework to 4.1.2 or later.