GHSA-fm4q-j8g4-c9j4: Apache Superset Improper Input Validation vulnerability

Apache Superset versions 2.0.0 and below utilize Flask with a known default secret key which is used to sign HTTP cookies. These cookies can therefore be forged. If a user is able to login to the site, they can decode the cookie, set their user_id to that of an administrator, and re-sign the cookie. This valid cookie can then be used to login as the targeted user. From there the Superset database is mounted, and credentials are pulled. A dashboard is then created. Lastly a pickled python payload can be set for that dashboard within Superset's database which will trigger the remote code execution. An attempt to clean up ALL of the dashboard key values and reset them to their previous values happens during the cleanup phase.

Patches have been released to address two new security vulnerabilities in Apache SuperSet that could be exploited by an attacker to gain remote code execution on affected systems. The update (version 2.1.1) plugs CVE-2023-39265 and CVE-2023-37941, which make it possible to conduct nefarious actions once a bad actor is able to gain control of Superset’s metadata database. Outside of these

Apache Superset would allow for SQLite database connections to be incorrectly registered when an attacker uses alternative driver names like sqlite+pysqlite or by using database imports. This could allow for unexpected file creation on Superset webservers. Additionally, if Apache Superset is using a SQLite database for its metadata (not advised for production use) it could result in more severe vulnerabilities related to confidentiality and integrity. This vulnerability exists in Apache Superset versions up to and including 2.1.0.