CVE-2013-4251 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.8) Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in scipy. A fix is available for scipy — see the affected versions and patch details below.
SciPy creates insecure temporary directories
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
Where this sits among everything scored
Real-World Exposure
scipyReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects PyPI packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
The scipy.weave component in SciPy before 0.12.1 creates insecure temporary directories.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | scipy | all versions | 0.12.1pip install --upgrade 'scipy==0.12.1' |
Affected Products
debian linuxdebianfedorafedoraprojectenterprise linuxredhatscipyscipyDetection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for scipy, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update scipy to 0.12.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2013-4251 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Close the privilege gap rather than the entry point: audit which accounts, roles and service identities can reach the affected operation, drop the component to the least privilege it actually needs, and review file and directory permissions created by earlier installs — a default left in place is what makes this reachable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2013-4251 in your dependencies?
Find it across PyPI, including transitive dependencies.