Poetry's Untrusted Search Path can lead to Local Code Execution on Windows
Published Sep 7, 2022
7.3
HIGHCVSS 3.1
EPSS 0.36%
Description
Poetry is a dependency manager for Python. To handle dependencies that come from a Git repository, Poetry executes various commands, e.g. `git config`. These commands are being executed using the executable’s name and not its absolute path. This can lead to the execution of untrusted code due to the way Windows resolves executable names to paths. Unlike Linux-based operating systems, Windows searches for the executable in the current directory first and looks in the paths that are defined in the `PATH` environment variable afterward. This vulnerability can lead to Arbitrary Code Execution, which would lead to the takeover of the system. If a developer is exploited, the attacker could steal credentials or persist their access. If the exploit happens on a server, the attackers could use their access to attack other internal systems. Since this vulnerability requires a fair amount of user interaction, it is not as dangerous as a remotely exploitable one. However, it still puts developers at risk when dealing with untrusted files in a way they think is safe. The victim could also not protect themself by vetting any Git or Poetry config files that might be present in the directory, because the behavior is undocumented. Versions 1.1.9 and 1.2.0b1 contain patches for this issue.
Affected products
-
- Version < 1.1.9StatusaffectedConstraints-
- Version
Default status is the baseline for the product, each version can override it (e.g. patched versions marked unaffected).
| Vendor | Product | Default status | Versions | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Python-Poetry | Poetry | n/a |
|
- < 1.1.9
- 1.2.0
- 1.2.0
No data.
No Red Hat product state for this CVE.
No package ranges for this CVE.
Remediation
No remediation recorded yet.
Metrics
No CVSS v4.0 score for this CVE.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
No CVSS v3.0 score for this CVE.
No CVSS v2.0 score for this CVE.
This CVE is not in the KEV list.
CISA SSVC (Vulnrichment)
Stakeholder-Specific Vulnerability Categorization from CISA ADP.
Exploitation
NoneAutomatable
NoTechnical Impact
TotalDecision
n/aAssessed Apr 23, 2025 · SSVC 2.0.3
Estimated probability of exploitation in the wild in the next 30 days (FIRST EPSS). As of Oct 1, 2026.
Score over time
2022–2026- EPSS v2
- EPSS v3
- EPSS v4
- EPSS v5
Percentile over time
- EPSS v2
- EPSS v3
- EPSS v4
- EPSS v5
Table of values (10 key points)
Flat stretches are collapsed; showing up to 120 newest points.
| Date | Score | Percentile | Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2026 | 0.36% (0.00364) | 27.90th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Jun 15, 2026 | 0.33% (0.00327) | 24.25th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Mar 17, 2025 | 0.05% (0.00050) | 12.61th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Dec 12, 2024 | 0.05% (0.00054) | 23.82th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Apr 28, 2024 | 0.05% (0.00054) | 20.61th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Mar 30, 2024 | 0.04% (0.00045) | 13.53th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Mar 7, 2023 | 0.04% (0.00043) | 7.88th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Mar 6, 2023 | 1.36% (0.01365) | 71.56th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Sep 15, 2022 | 1.36% (0.01365) | 70.80th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Sep 8, 2022 | 1.55% (0.01549) | 74.10th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
References (6)
- https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-j4j9-7hg9-97g6 Advisory
- https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/poetry/PYSEC-2022-43179.yaml
- https://github.com/python-poetry/poetry/releases/tag/1.1.9 x_refsource_MISCRelease NotesThird Party Advisory
- https://github.com/python-poetry/poetry/releases/tag/1.2.0b1 x_refsource_MISCRelease NotesThird Party Advisory
- https://github.com/python-poetry/poetry/security/advisories/GHSA-j4j9-7hg9-97g6 x_refsource_CONFIRMThird Party Advisory
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-36070
| Link | Providers | Tags |
|---|---|---|
| https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-j4j9-7hg9-97g6 | Advisory | |
| https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/poetry/PYSEC-2022-43179.yaml | ||
| https://github.com/python-poetry/poetry/releases/tag/1.1.9 | x_refsource_MISCRelease NotesThird Party Advisory | |
| https://github.com/python-poetry/poetry/releases/tag/1.2.0b1 | x_refsource_MISCRelease NotesThird Party Advisory | |
| https://github.com/python-poetry/poetry/security/advisories/GHSA-j4j9-7hg9-97g6 | x_refsource_CONFIRMThird Party Advisory | |
| https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-36070 |
Change history (0)
No recorded changes yet.