GHSA-pj65-3pf6-c5q4 — python-apt
MEDIUMGHSA-pj65-3pf6-c5q4 is a medium-severity (CVSS 4.7) Improper Authentication vulnerability in python-apt. A fix is available for python-apt — see the affected versions and patch details below.
python-apt Does Not Check Hash Signature
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
GHSA-pj65-3pf6-c5q4 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 377,333 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
python-apt🐍python-apt🐍python-apt🐍python-apt🐍python-aptReal-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
Python-apt doesn't check if hashes are signed in Version.fetch_binary() and Version.fetch_source() of apt/package.py or in _fetch_archives() of apt/cache.py in version 1.9.3ubuntu2 and earlier. This allows downloads from unsigned repositories which shouldn't be allowed and has been fixed in verisions 1.9.5, 1.9.0ubuntu1.2, 1.6.5ubuntu0.1, 1.1.0~beta1ubuntu0.16.04.7, 0.9.3.5ubuntu3+esm2, and 0.8.3ubuntu7.5.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | python-apt | all versions | 0.8.3ubuntu7.5pip install --upgrade 'python-apt==0.8.3ubuntu7.5' |
| 🐍PyPI | python-apt | ≥ 0.9.0&&< 0.9.3.5ubuntu3 | 0.9.3.5ubuntu3pip install --upgrade 'python-apt==0.9.3.5ubuntu3' |
| 🐍PyPI | python-apt | ≥ 1.2.0&&< 1.6.5ubuntu0.1 | 1.6.5ubuntu0.1pip install --upgrade 'python-apt==1.6.5ubuntu0.1' |
| 🐍PyPI | python-apt | ≥ 1.7.0&&< 1.9.0ubuntu1.2 | 1.9.0ubuntu1.2pip install --upgrade 'python-apt==1.9.0ubuntu1.2' |
| 🐍PyPI | python-apt | ≥ 1.9.1&&< 1.9.5 | 1.9.5pip install --upgrade 'python-apt==1.9.5' |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for python-apt, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update python-apt to 0.8.3ubuntu7.5 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-pj65-3pf6-c5q4 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 GHSA-pj65-3pf6-c5q4 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-pj65-3pf6-c5q4. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-pj65-3pf6-c5q4 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-pj65-3pf6-c5q4 across PyPI dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.