CVE-2023-40610 — apache-superset
MEDIUMCVE-2023-40610 is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.3) CWE-863 vulnerability in apache-superset. A fix is available for apache-superset — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Apache Superset: Privilege escalation with default examples database
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.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2023-40610.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2023-40610 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 378,156 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
apache-supersetReal-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
Overview
An attacker with access to the SQL Lab and the ab_user and ab_user_role tables can elevate his privileges to become administrator.
Details
On a more general level, diverse tables who are supposed to be only readable can be modified using the WITH … AS and RETURNING keywords. Modification of the table key_value can also be done, which could lead to a Remote Code Execution (cf. "V7 - Insecure deserialization leading to remote code execution" report vulnerability).
Proof of Concept
Some tables are supposed to accept only SELECT requests from the SQL tab.
- Attempt to create a new user injected_admin into the ab_user table: PoC_1
But this protection can be bypassed by using the WITH … AS () syntax with RETURNING value after the INSERT / UPDATE / DELETE query. INSERT query accepted by the database due to the use of WITH … AS ( … RETURNING ) syntax: WITH a AS ( INSERT INTO ab_user (id, first_name, last_name, username, email, password) VALUES (2, ‘injected_admin’, ‘injected_admin’, ‘injected_admin’, ‘[email protected]’, ‘{PASSWORD_HASH}’) RETURNING id ) SELECT * FROM a; PoC_2
- injected_admin added to the ab_user table: PoC_3
This method can also be used with UPDATE or DELETE request. A user with access to SELECT on the tables ab_user_role can escalate his privilege to become administrator.
- Locating the ID of the user ‘Auditeur B’, who has no rights and is not an admin. The request is done being ‘Auditeur B’: PoC_4
- Locating the rows that keep the role of the user ‘Auditeur B’. The row 36 stores the value 3, indicating the role ‘Alpha’ for ‘Auditeur B’: PoC_5
- Modification of the row 36 with an UPDATE request embedded in a WITH request: PoC_6
- ‘Auditeur B’ role has been changed to Admin: PoC_7
This technique can also be used to inject or modify values of the table key_value, which can potentially lead to a Remote Code Execution (cf. ...).
Solution
Orange recommendation
To fix this vulnerability, we recommends reenforcing the SELECT filter to spot INSERT / UPDATE / DELETE keywords even in WITH requests.
Security patch
Upgrade to Superset version 2.1.2.
References
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-40610 https://lists.apache.org/thread/jvgxpk4dbxyqtsgtl4pdgbd520rc0rot
Credits
LEXFO for Orange Innovation
Orange CERT-CC at Orange group
Timeline
Date reported: July 27, 2023 Date fixed: November 27, 2023
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | apache-superset | all versions | 2.1.2pip install --upgrade 'apache-superset==2.1.2' |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for apache-superset, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update apache-superset to 2.1.2 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-40610 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2023-40610 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2023-40610. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2023-40610 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2023-40610 across PyPI dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.