vulnerability / NVI-00013842 / Revision 1
qwed Vulnerable to Authenticated Remote Code Execution via Unsafe SymPy `parse_expr()`
GitHub lists this reviewed advisory for qwed. Published version ranges and source prerequisites are shown below; this is not an inspection of a visitor’s application.
This report has not inspected your inventory, configuration, deployed build, reachability or evidence. A catalog listing and a severity score do not establish exposure or compromise.
01 / Meaning
Why it matters
Published affected context helps an owner decide what evidence to gather. This report has not examined your application.
8.8 high
GitHub source severity; exploitability and local consequence require separate evidence.
As of · GitHub Advisory Database
02 / Applicability
The affected context
Affected versions, configuration prerequisites and known exclusions are public. Confirm each one against the deployed service.
qwed
source listed< 5.1.2
### Summary The `qwed` package (version 5.1.1) passes attacker-controlled input directly to SymPy's `parse_expr()` function without a restricted namespace. Because `parse_expr()` internally calls Python's `eval()`, any authenticated tenant can execute arbitrary Python code inside the API server process. The attack requires only a standard user account, which is freely obtainable through the default-enabled `/auth/signup` endpoint. Successful exploitation gives the attacker full read/write access to the filesystem and the ability to execute operating system commands, resulting in complete server compromise. ### Details The vulnerability exists in two independently reachable code paths: **Primary sink — `POST /verify/math`** `src/qwed_new/api/main.py:442` defines the `/verify/math` route, protected only by `get_current_tenant` (line 444), which accepts any valid tenant API key. The request body field `expression` is read at line 463 and passed through a cosmetic regex normalization at line 495 (`re.sub(r'(\d)(\()', r'\1*\2', expression)`) that performs no security validation. The normalized string is then passed directly to `parse_expr()` at line 504: ```python # src/qwed_new/a
03 / Response
What to do next
- investigate
Identify the exact component and deployed version, examine the linked publisher’s conditions, and retain evidence of any mitigation.
Confirm current vendor support, compatibility and deployment evidence. This report has not tested a fix in your system. GitHub Advisory Database
A fixed release is not deployment evidence.
Check current vendor support and compatibility. After making a change, verify the deployed build and relevant runtime conditions. Keep the evidence, owner and time. An updated lockfile alone does not prove what is running.
04 / Limits
What this report cannot establish
- Customer inventory, deployment, reachability and exploitation have not been inspected.
05 / Provenance
Sources you can inspect
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- GHSA-q27q-98j4-9pfv ↗
GitHub Advisory Database · vendor advisory
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Public revision history
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- Revision 1 ·
First indexed by Null; source disclosure date is shown separately.