CVE-2022-29238 : Security Advisory and Response

Jupyter Notebook prior to version 6.4.12 is affected by a vulnerability that could allow authenticated access to hidden files. Learn more about the impact, technical details, and mitigation strategies below.

Understanding CVE-2022-29238

Jupyter Notebook is a web-based notebook environment for interactive computing. The vulnerability in versions prior to 6.4.12 could potentially allow unauthorized access to hidden files.

What is CVE-2022-29238?

The vulnerability in Jupyter Notebook versions before 6.4.12 allowed authenticated requests to access hidden files, posing a risk of unauthorized file access.

The Impact of CVE-2022-29238

While the impact of this vulnerability is relatively low due to the requirement of fully authenticated requests, it could potentially allow access to sensitive files if their names are guessable.

Technical Details of CVE-2022-29238

Vulnerability Description

Prior to version 6.4.12, authenticated requests to the Jupyter Notebook server with

ContentsManager.allow_hidden = False

could allow access to individual hidden files or files in hidden directories.

Affected Systems and Versions

Jupyter Notebook versions earlier than 6.4.12 are impacted by this vulnerability.

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability could be exploited by authenticated users to access hidden files within the server.

Mitigation and Prevention

Immediate Steps to Take

Users are advised to update their Jupyter Notebook to version 6.4.12 or higher to address this vulnerability.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly updating software and monitoring access to sensitive files can help prevent similar vulnerabilities.

Patching and Updates

Version 6.4.12 of Jupyter Notebook contains a patch for this issue, and users are recommended to apply the update promptly.