CVE-2023-50731 | MindsDB has arbitrary file write in file.py

Exp

MindsDB is a SQL Server for artificial intelligence. Prior to version 23.11.4.1, the `put` method in `mindsdb/mindsdb/api/http/namespaces/file.py` does not validate the user-controlled name value, which is used in a temporary file name, which is afterwards opened for writing on lines 122-125, which leads to path injection. Later in the method, the temporary directory is deleted on line 151, but since we can write outside of the directory using the path injection vulnerability, the potentially dangerous file is not deleted. Arbitrary file contents can be written due to `f.write(chunk)` on line 125. Mindsdb does check later on line 149 in the `save_file` method in `file-controller.py` which calls the `_handle_source` method in `file_handler.py` if a file is of one of the types `csv`, `json`, `parquet`, `xls`, or `xlsx`. However, since the check happens after the file has already been written, the files will still exist (and will not be removed due to the path injection described earlier), just the `_handle_source` method will return an error. The same user-controlled source source is used also in another path injection sink on line 138. This leads to another path injection, which allows an attacker to delete any `zip` or `tar.gz` files on the server.

Published: 2023-12-22 Last update: 2024-11-21 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2023-50731 is rated High Exploit Risk (72.5/100): CVSS Critical severity, with medium exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.99%). Core evidence: 1 public exploit reference(s) are indexed (Exploit-DB). Mandatory action: Public exploits are available—assess exposure, apply mitigations, and prioritize patching.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Public exploit references (Exploit-DB) for CVE-2023-50731

EDB-ID Source Kind Published Link
nvd_ref exploit_tag Exploit-DB ↗

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2023-50731

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 0.16% 0.99% +0.83%
2 2025-11-21 0.53% 0.16% -0.37%
3 2025-11-18 0.53%

Full EPSS history (12 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2023-50731

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
9.1 3.1 CRITICAL
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
3.9 5.2 [email protected]
9.1 3.1 CRITICAL
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
3.9 5.2 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2023-50731

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2023-50731

GHSA-j8w6-2r9h-cxhj · Severity: high · Ecosystem: pip — GitHub Security Lab (GHSL) Vulnerability Report: Arbitary write GHSL-2023-182

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2023-50731

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
mindsdb mindsdb < 23.11.4.1 cpe:2.3:a:mindsdb:mindsdb:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2023-50731

cvelogic Threat Intelligence