Summary
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') in hyper-bump-it
hyper-bump-it reads a file glob pattern from the configuration file. That is combined with the project root directory to construct a full glob pattern that is used to find files that should be edited. These matched files should be contained within the project root directory, but that is not checked. This could result in changes being written to files outside of the project.
The default behaviour of hyper-bump-it is to display the planned changes and prompt the user for confirmation before editing any files. However, the configuration file provides a field that can be used cause files to be edited without displaying the prompt.
Details
The vulnerability is present in
That code joins the project root directory with a string read from the configuration file without checking if the final path is located outside the project root directory.
The following configuration file contents would cause hyper-bump-it to replace every instance of "hello" in every file adjacent to the project root directory with "world". The line setting show_confirm_prompt to false is not required, but will result in the user file edits to occur without the user having a chance to reject the changes (The fact that changes happened would still be displayed).
[hyper-bump-it]
current_version = "1.2.3"
show_confirm_prompt=false
[[hyper-bump-it.files]]
file_glob = "../*"
search_format_pattern = "hello"
replace_format_pattern = "world"
Workarounds
Users that are unable to update from vulnerable versions, executing hyper-bump-it with the --interactive command line argument will ensure that all planned changes are displayed and prompt the user for confirmation before editing any files, even if the configuration file contains show_confirm_prompt=true.
Impact
Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files. Typical impact: unauthorized file read or write outside the intended directory.
CVE-2023-41057 has a CVSS score of 3.3 (Low). The vector is requires local access, no privileges required, and user interaction required. 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 (0.5.1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
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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A fix that been released as part of v0.5.1. The changes can be view as part of PR #307.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2023-41057? CVE-2023-41057 is a low-severity path traversal vulnerability in hyper-bump-it (pip), affecting versions < 0.5.1. It is fixed in 0.5.1. Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files.
- How severe is CVE-2023-41057? CVE-2023-41057 has a CVSS score of 3.3 (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.
- Which versions of hyper-bump-it are affected by CVE-2023-41057? hyper-bump-it (pip) versions < 0.5.1 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2023-41057? Yes. CVE-2023-41057 is fixed in 0.5.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2023-41057 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-41057 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-2023-41057 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-2023-41057? Upgrade
hyper-bump-itto 0.5.1 or later.