CVE-2023-37480

Fides Webserver Vulnerable to Zip Bomb File Uploads

Workarounds

There is no known workaround to remediate this vulnerability without upgrading. If an attack occurs, the impact can be mitigated by manually or automatically restarting the affected container.

References

More information about this type of vulnerability can be found at the following links:

• https://www.bamsoftware.com/hacks/zipbomb/
• https://python-security.readthedocs.io/security.html#archives-and-zip-bomb-cve-2019-9674

The Fides webserver is vulnerable to a type of Denial of Service (DoS) attack. Attackers can exploit a weakness in the connector template upload feature to upload a malicious zip bomb file, resulting in resource exhaustion and service unavailability for all users of the Fides webserver.

This vulnerability affects Fides versions 2.11.0 through 2.15.1. Exploitation is limited to users with elevated privileges with the CONNECTOR_TEMPLATE_REGISTER scope, which includes root users and users with the owner role.

Crafted input forces the application to consume excessive CPU, memory, or other resources, degrading or denying service. Typical impact: denial of service.

CVE-2023-37480 has a CVSS score of 2.7 (Low). The vector is network-reachable, high 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 (2.16.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

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The vulnerability has been patched in Fides version 2.16.0. Users are advised to upgrade to this version or later to secure their systems against this threat.

1. What is CVE-2023-37480? CVE-2023-37480 is a low-severity uncontrolled resource consumption vulnerability in ethyca-fides (pip), affecting versions >= 2.11.0, < 2.16.0. It is fixed in 2.16.0. Crafted input forces the application to consume excessive CPU, memory, or other resources, degrading or denying service.
2. How severe is CVE-2023-37480? CVE-2023-37480 has a CVSS score of 2.7 (Low). 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 ethyca-fides are affected by CVE-2023-37480? ethyca-fides (pip) versions >= 2.11.0, < 2.16.0 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2023-37480? Yes. CVE-2023-37480 is fixed in 2.16.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2023-37480 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-37480 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-2023-37480 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-2023-37480? Upgrade ethyca-fides to 2.16.0 or later.

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