Summary
langchain-experimental vulnerable to Arbitrary Code Execution
Versions of the package langchain-experimental from 0.0.15 and before 0.0.21 are vulnerable to Arbitrary Code Execution when retrieving values from the database, the code will attempt to call 'eval' on all values. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability and execute arbitrary python code if they can control the input prompt and the server is configured with VectorSQLDatabaseChain.
Notes:
Impact on the Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability of the vulnerable component:
Confidentiality: Code execution happens within the impacted component, in this case langchain-experimental, so all resources are necessarily accessible.
Integrity: There is nothing protected by the impacted component inherently. Although anything returned from the component counts as 'information' for which the trustworthiness can be compromised.
Availability: The loss of availability isn't caused by the attack itself, but it happens as a result during the attacker's post-exploitation steps.
Impact on the Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability of the subsequent system:
As a legitimate low-privileged user of the package (PR:L) the attacker does not have more access to data owned by the package as a result of this vulnerability than they did with normal usage (e.g. can query the DB). The unintended action that one can perform by breaking out of the app environment and exfiltrating files, making remote connections etc. happens during the post exploitation phase in the subsequent system - in this case, the OS.
AT:P: An attacker needs to be able to influence the input prompt, whilst the server is configured with the VectorSQLDatabaseChain plugin.
Impact
Untrusted input is evaluated as executable code within the application's runtime environment. Typical impact: arbitrary code execution within the application's privilege context.
CVE-2024-21513 has a CVSS score of 8.5 (Critical). The vector is network-reachable, 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 (0.0.21); 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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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2024-21513? CVE-2024-21513 is a critical-severity code injection vulnerability in langchain-experimental (pip), affecting versions >= 0, < 0.0.21. It is fixed in 0.0.21. Untrusted input is evaluated as executable code within the application's runtime environment.
- How severe is CVE-2024-21513? CVE-2024-21513 has a CVSS score of 8.5 (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 langchain-experimental are affected by CVE-2024-21513? langchain-experimental (pip) versions >= 0, < 0.0.21 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2024-21513? Yes. CVE-2024-21513 is fixed in 0.0.21. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2024-21513 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2024-21513 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-2024-21513 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-2024-21513? Upgrade
langchain-experimentalto 0.0.21 or later.