🔴 [BUG BOUNTY] Multiple Critical Security Vulnerabilities - Outdated Dependencies with Known CVEs

[MasteraSnackin]

🔍 Vulnerability Description

Multiple HIGH and MEDIUM severity vulnerabilities have been identified in the project's Python dependencies due to outdated package versions with known CVEs.

---

🚨 Critical Findings

1. Django 3.2.14 - SQL Injection (CVE-2022-34265)

Severity: HIGH (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
Location: requirements.txt line 24
CVE: CVE-2022-34265

Description:
Django 3.2.14 contains a critical SQL injection vulnerability in the Trunc() and Extract() database functions. Attackers can inject malicious SQL code via kind/lookup_name arguments when untrusted data is used.

Affected Code:

Django==3.2.14

References:

• https://www.djangoproject.com/weblog/2022/jul/04/security-releases/
• https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2022-34265/

---

2. DjangoRestFramework 3.13.1 - XSS (CVE-2024-21520)

Severity: MEDIUM (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
Location: requirements.txt line 36
CVE: CVE-2024-21520

Description:
Vulnerable to Cross-site Scripting (XSS) via the break_long_headers template filter due to improper input sanitization before splitting and joining with <br> tags.

Affected Code:

djangorestframework==3.13.1

References:

• https://security.snyk.io/package/pip/djangorestframework/3.13.1
• https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-gw84-84pc-xp82

---

3. Python Requests 2.27.1 - Information Disclosure (CVE-2023-32681)

Severity: MEDIUM (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
Location: requirements.txt line 53
CVE: CVE-2023-32681

Description:
Could allow remote attackers to obtain sensitive information through improper header handling.

Affected Code:

requests==2.27.1

---

🧠 Impact Assessment

SQL Injection (Django)

• Risk: CRITICAL
• Unauthorized database access
• Data exfiltration and manipulation
• Potential for complete system compromise
• Affects all database query operations using Trunc()/Extract()

XSS (DjangoRestFramework)

• Risk: MEDIUM
• Session hijacking through cookie theft
• Phishing attacks via malicious content injection
• Account takeover scenarios
• Affects API browsable interface and admin panels

Information Disclosure (Requests)

• Risk: MEDIUM
• Exposure of authentication tokens in headers
• Potential credential leakage
• Man-in-the-middle attack surface

---

📸 Evidence

Screenshot 1: requirements.txt showing vulnerable versions

Lines 24, 36, and 53 contain outdated versions with known CVEs.

---

✅ Recommended Fixes

# Update requirements.txt:
Django==3.2.25  # or latest 3.2.x (was 3.2.14)
djangorestframework==3.15.2  # or later (was 3.13.1)
requests==2.32.3  # or latest (was 2.27.1)

---

🔧 Remediation Steps

1. Update requirements.txt with patched versions
2. Run pip install -r requirements.txt --upgrade
3. Test application thoroughly
4. Deploy updated dependencies to all environments
5. Implement automated dependency scanning

---

📄 Bug Bounty Submission Details

Submitted by: @MasteraSnackin
Submission Date: December 18, 2025
Related PR: #393 (Hardcoded secrets fix already submitted)
Repository: AIxBlock-2023/awesome-ai-dev-platform-opensource

Expected Reward Tier:

• Django SQL Injection: HIGH severity - $450 + 1,000 tokens
• DRF XSS: MEDIUM severity - $200 + 500 tokens
• Requests vulnerability: MEDIUM severity - $200 + 500 tokens

Total Expected: $850 cash + 2,000 tokens + revenue share

---

🔗 Additional Resources

• CVE-2022-34265: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-34265
• CVE-2024-21520: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-21520
• CVE-2023-32681: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-32681

---

Note: This is part of the AIxBlock Bug Bounty Program. All vulnerabilities have been responsibly disclosed and fixes are being proposed via pull request.

[MasteraSnackin]

Update: Pull Request Submitted

I've already submitted PR #393 that addresses one of the critical vulnerabilities (hardcoded secrets in .env.example).

🔗 PR Link: #393

Current Status:

✅ Completed:

• Hardcoded secrets fix implemented and submitted
• Dedicated branch created: bugfix/hardcoded-secrets-exposure
• Working code fix with proper placeholders

⏳ Pending:

• PR review and validation from AIxBlock team
• Additional PRs for the dependency update vulnerabilities (Django, DRF, Requests)

Next Steps:

I'm prepared to create additional PRs for the remaining vulnerabilities once the team provides guidance on:

1. Whether to update dependencies in a single PR or separate PRs per CVE
2. Testing requirements for the dependency updates
3. Any breaking changes to consider when upgrading Django 3.2.14 → 3.2.25

Collaboration:

I'm available to:

• Answer any questions about the vulnerabilities
• Provide additional PoC if needed
• Assist with testing the fixes
• Create additional branches for each vulnerability fix

Looking forward to collaborating with the AIxBlock Security Team and community! 🚀

Timeline Expectations (per Bug Bounty Program):

• Acknowledgment: Within 48 hours
• Validation: Within 7 business days

cc: @AIxBlock-2023 team