CVE-2023-33733 — reportlab
HIGHCVE-2023-33733 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.8) Code Injection vulnerability in reportlab. 4 public exploit or proof-of-concept references are indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for reportlab — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Reportlab vulnerable to remote code execution
Exploitation Status
Proof-of-concept exploit code exists
- CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2023-33733.
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
reportlabReal-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
Reportlab up to and including v3.6.12 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via supplying a crafted PDF file.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | reportlab | all versions | 3.6.13pip install --upgrade 'reportlab==3.6.13' |
Affected Products
reportlabreportlabResearch use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for reportlab, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update reportlab to 3.6.13 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-33733 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Stop passing untrusted input into the interpreter or shell: call the affected binary with an argument array rather than a composed command string, reject anything outside a strict allowlist of expected values, and run the component under an account that cannot reach beyond the work it legitimately does.
Fixing This On Your OS
If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Quay 3 | quay/clair-rhel8:v3.9.1-1 | RHBA-2023:4974 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2023-33733 in your dependencies?
Find it across PyPI, including transitive dependencies.