What is CVE-2022-23653?

CVE-2022-23653 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in b2 (pip), affecting versions < 3.2.1. It is fixed in 3.2.1.

How severe is CVE-2022-23653?

CVE-2022-23653 has a CVSS score of 4.7 (Medium). 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 b2 are affected by CVE-2022-23653?

b2 (pip) versions < 3.2.1 is affected.

Is there a fix for CVE-2022-23653?

Yes. CVE-2022-23653 is fixed in 3.2.1. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is CVE-2022-23653 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2022-23653 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-2022-23653 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.

CVE-2022-23653 in b2

Q: How severe is CVE-2022-23653?

CVE-2022-23653 has a CVSS score of 4.7 (Medium). 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 b2 are affected by CVE-2022-23653?

b2 (pip) versions < 3.2.1 is affected.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2022-23653?

Yes. CVE-2022-23653 is fixed in 3.2.1. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is CVE-2022-23653 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2022-23653 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-2022-23653 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.

Summary

B2 Command Line Tool TOCTOU application key disclosure

Workarounds

If B2 Command-Line Tool cannot be upgraded to v3.2.1 due to a dependency conflict, a binary release can be used instead. Alternatively a new version could be installed within a virtualenv, or the permissions can be changed to prevent local users from opening the database file.

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:

Open an issue in B2 Command-Line Tool mentioning the CVE id in the issue title
Email us at [email protected]

Impact

Linux and Mac releases of the B2 command-line tool version 3.2.0 and below contain a key disclosure vulnerability that, in certain conditions, can be exploited by local attackers through a time-of-check-time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition.

The command line tool saves API keys (and bucket name-to-id mapping) in a local database file ($XDG_CONFIG_HOME/b2/account_info, ~/.b2_account_info or a user-defined path) when b2 authorize-account is first run. This happens regardless of whether a valid key is provided or not. When first created, the file is world readable and is (typically a few milliseconds) later altered to be private to the user. If the directory is readable by a local attacker and the user did not yet run b2 authorize-account then during the brief period between file creation and permission modification, a local attacker can race to open the file and maintain a handle to it. This allows the local attacker to read the contents after the file after the sensitive information has been saved to it.

CVE-2022-23653 has a CVSS score of 4.7 (Medium). The vector is requires local access, low 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 (3.2.1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

b2 (< 3.2.1)

Security releases

b2 → 3.2.1 (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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Remediation advice

Users that have not yet run b2 authorize-account should upgrade to B2 Command-Line Tool v3.2.1 before running it.

Users that have run b2 authorize-account are safe if at the time of the file creation no other local users had read access to the local configuration file.

Users that have run b2 authorize-account where the designated path could be opened by another local user should upgrade to B2 Command-Line Tool v3.2.1 and remove the database and regenerate all application keys. Note that b2 clear-account does not remove the database file and it should not be used to ensure that all open handles to the file are invalidated.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-23653? CVE-2022-23653 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in b2 (pip), affecting versions < 3.2.1. It is fixed in 3.2.1.
How severe is CVE-2022-23653? CVE-2022-23653 has a CVSS score of 4.7 (Medium). 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 b2 are affected by CVE-2022-23653? b2 (pip) versions < 3.2.1 is affected.
Is there a fix for CVE-2022-23653? Yes. CVE-2022-23653 is fixed in 3.2.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is CVE-2022-23653 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2022-23653 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-2022-23653 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-2022-23653? Upgrade b2 to 3.2.1 or later.