GHSA-f5gc-p5m3-v347 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) CWE-91 vulnerability in petl. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-f5gc-p5m3-v347 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
XXE in petl
Real-World Exposure
petlReal-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
Impact
Information Disclosure
Summary
petl is a Python library that provides functions for extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) of data.
petl before 1.68, in some configurations, allows resolution of entities in XML input.
An attacker who is able to submit XML input to an application using petl can disclose arbitrary files on the file system in the context of the user under which the application is running.
Affected Applications
Applications that:
- accept attacker-supplied XML input that is processed using petl < 1.68
- return the response generated by petl back to the attacker
- configure lxml as the underlying XML processing library used by petl
- have read privileges in filesystem files with sensitive information
Mitigation
Update to petl >= 1.68
Workarounds
- Assure there is no user/external access to the application using petl
- Assure your application is not using the function fromxml()
References
- https://github.com/nvn1729/advisories/blob/master/cve-2020-29128.md
- https://github.com/petl-developers/petl/pull/527
- https://github.com/petl-developers/petl/releases/tag/v1.6.8
- https://petl.readthedocs.io/en/stable/changes.html
- https://owasp.org/www-community/vulnerabilities/XML_External_Entity_(XXE)_Processing
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Add a comment in the Github issue
Thaks to Naveen Sunkavally.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | petl | all versions | 1.6.8 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for petl. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update petl to 1.6.8 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-f5gc-p5m3-v347 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 pinpoints whether GHSA-f5gc-p5m3-v347 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to GHSA-f5gc-p5m3-v347. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-f5gc-p5m3-v347 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-f5gc-p5m3-v347 across PyPI dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.