CVE-2019-19118 : Security Advisory and Response

Django versions 2.1 up to 2.1.15 and 2.2 up to 2.2.8 suffer from a vulnerability that allows unintentional editing of models in the Django model admin interface.

Understanding CVE-2019-19118

This CVE highlights a privilege escalation issue in Django versions 2.1 and 2.2, potentially leading to unintended model editing.

What is CVE-2019-19118?

Django versions 2.1 before 2.1.15 and 2.2 before 2.2.8 allow for unintended model editing. When a user with view-only permissions for a parent model has edit permissions for an inline model, an editing interface is presented, enabling the user to make POST requests to update the inline model. Although direct editing of the view-only parent model is not possible, the parent model's save() method is still triggered, potentially causing side effects and invoking pre and post-save signal handlers.

The Impact of CVE-2019-19118

The vulnerability could lead to unintended model modifications and trigger unexpected behaviors due to the invocation of pre and post-save signal handlers.

Technical Details of CVE-2019-19118

This section provides more in-depth technical insights into the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

The issue arises in Django model admin when users with specific permissions can unintentionally edit inline models, triggering the save() method of the parent model.

Affected Systems and Versions

Django versions 2.1 up to 2.1.15
Django versions 2.2 up to 2.2.8

Exploitation Mechanism

Users with view-only permissions for a parent model and edit permissions for an inline model can exploit this vulnerability by updating the inline model, inadvertently triggering the parent model's save() method.

Mitigation and Prevention

Protecting systems from CVE-2019-19118 involves taking immediate steps and implementing long-term security practices.

Immediate Steps to Take

Upgrade Django to versions 2.1.15 or 2.2.8, which contain fixes for this vulnerability.
Review and adjust user permissions to prevent unauthorized model editing.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly review and update permissions to ensure the principle of least privilege.
Conduct security training for administrators to understand and mitigate similar vulnerabilities.

Patching and Updates

Apply the latest security patches provided by Django to address this vulnerability and prevent exploitation.