CVE-2023-32321
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedCKAN is an open-source data management system for powering data hubs and data portals. Multiple vulnerabilities have been discovered in Ckan which may lead to remote code execution. An arbitrary file write in `resource_create` and `package_update` actions, using the `ResourceUploader` object. Also reachable via `package_create`, `package_revise`, and `package_patch` via calls to `package_update`. Remote code execution via unsafe pickle loading, via Beaker's session store when configured to use the file session store backend. Potential DOS due to lack of a length check on the resource id. Information disclosure: A user with permission to create a resource can access any other resource on the system if they know the id, even if they don't have access to it. Resource overwrite: A user with permission to create a resource can overwrite any resource if they know the id, even if they don't have access to it. A user with permissions to create or edit a dataset can upload a resource with a specially crafted id to write the uploaded file in an arbitrary location. This can be leveraged to Remote Code Execution via Beaker's insecure pickle loading. All the above listed vulnerabilities have been fixed in CKAN 2.9.9 and CKAN 2.10.1. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for these issues.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceCKAN versions prior to 2.9.9 and 2.10.1 contain multiple critical vulnerabilities: an arbitrary file write via the ResourceUploader in resource_create/package_update actions (also reachable through package_create, package_revise, package_patch), allowing users with dataset edit permissions to write files to arbitrary locations by crafting resource IDs. This combines with Beaker's unsafe pickle loading in file session store backend to achieve remote code execution. Additional flaws include information disclosure and resource overwrite allowing unauthorized access to any resource via known ID, plus potential DoS from missing resource ID length validation.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data>= 2.9.0, < 2.9.9= 2.10.0CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed CKAN versionRun command: ckan --version or check the installed package version via pip show ckan or rpm -q ckanAffected if Version is >= 2.9.0 and < 2.9.9, or equals 2.10.0
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Verify Beaker session backend configurationInspect the CKAN configuration file (usually development.ini, production.ini, or /etc/ckan/default/production.ini) for session.type and session.filter settings. Look for session.type = file with no serializer specified (defaults to pickle)Affected if Session backend uses file-based sessions without explicit secure serializer configuration
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Check if resource creation/update is enabledInspect the CKAN configuration for ckan.plugins or ckanext settings. Verify that resource_create and package_update actions are accessible via the API endpoint /api/3/action/resource_createAffected if The API returns 200 OK for resource_create when authenticated with a user having dataset edit permissions
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Confirm resource ID validation is enforcedTest by attempting to create a resource with an overly long ID via API: POST to /api/3/action/resource_create with an id parameter exceeding typical UUID length (e.g., 500+ characters)Affected if Request succeeds or causes a denial of service rather than being rejected with length validation error
A CKAN instance is affected if it runs version 2.9.0 through 2.9.8 or 2.10.0 AND has Beaker file-based sessions configured with pickle serialization OR allows authenticated users with dataset edit permissions to access resource_create/package_update API endpoints.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scoped2.9.9
Upgrade CKAN to version 2.9.9 or 2.10.1 immediately. This is the only remediation; there are no workarounds. After upgrade, verify Beaker session configuration does not use the insecure file backend with pickle serialization.
CKAN 2.9.9 (for 2.9.x branches) or CKAN 2.10.1 (for 2.10.x branch)
- Back up your current CKAN installation and database before proceeding with the upgrade
- If running CKAN 2.9.x (versions 2.9.0 through 2.9.8), upgrade to CKAN version 2.9.9
- If running CKAN 2.10.0, upgrade to CKAN version 2.10.1
- Follow the standard CKAN upgrade documentation for your deployment method to apply the version upgrade
- After upgrade, verify the CKAN instance starts successfully
- Confirm the vulnerabilities are remediated by testing resource_create, package_update, package_create, package_revise, and package_patch actions no longer allow arbitrary file writes
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
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- Review / QA4.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-32321 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-32321 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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