CVE-2023-43364 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) CWE-74 vulnerability in searchor. 2 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for searchor — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Searchor CLI's Search vulnerable to Arbitrary Code using Eval
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.
- CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
- 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-2023-43364.
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-2023-43364 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
searchorReal-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
An issue in Arjun Sharda's Searchor before version v.2.4.2 allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code via a crafted script to the eval() function in Searchor's src/searchor/main.py file, affecting the search feature in Searchor's CLI (Command Line Interface).
Impact
Versions equal to, or below 2.4.1 are affected.
Patches
Versions above, or equal to 2.4.2 have patched the vulnerability.
References
https://github.com/nikn0laty/Exploit-for-Searchor-2.4.0-Arbitrary-CMD-Injection https://github.com/nexis-nexis/Searchor-2.4.0-POC-Exploit- https://github.com/jonnyzar/POC-Searchor-2.4.2 https://github.com/ArjunSharda/Searchor/pull/130
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | searchor | all versions | 2.4.2pip install --upgrade 'searchor==2.4.2' |
Research 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 searchor, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update searchor to 2.4.2 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-43364 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-2023-43364 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2023-43364. 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-2023-43364 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2023-43364 across PyPI dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.