CVE-2023-6507 | Groups not dropped before running subprocess when using empty 'extra_groups' parameter

An issue was found in CPython 3.12.0 `subprocess` module on POSIX platforms. The issue was fixed in CPython 3.12.1 and does not affect other stable releases. When using the `extra_groups=` parameter with an empty list as a value (ie `extra_groups=[]`) the logic regressed to not call `setgroups(0, NULL)` before calling `exec()`, thus not dropping the original processes' groups before starting the new process. There is no issue when the parameter isn't used or when any value is used besides an empty list. This issue only impacts CPython processes run with sufficient privilege to make the `setgroups` system call (typically `root`).

Published: 2023-12-08 Last update: 2026-06-17 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2023-6507 is rated Moderate Risk (49.1/100): CVSS Medium severity, with medium exploitation likelihood (EPSS 1.33%). EPSS rose +1.24% over the last day, indicating growing attacker interest. Review affected assets and schedule remediation.

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

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2023-6507

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 0.08% 1.33% +1.24%
2 2025-11-21 0.36% 0.08% -0.27%
3 2025-11-18 — 0.36% —

Full EPSS history (9 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2023-6507

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
6.1 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:A)
Attacker has to be nearby on the network—same office, same link, that vibe—not the whole wide internet.
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:H)
They need powerful rights—admin, root, or similar—before this pays off.
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:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:N)
Service keeps running; no real outage angle.
 0.9 5.2 [email protected]
4.9 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N 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:H)
They need powerful rights—admin, root, or similar—before this pays off.
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:N)
Service keeps running; no real outage angle.
 1.2 3.6 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2023-6507

OS Trackers for CVE-2023-6507

vendor priority summary link
debian unimportant CVE-2023-6507 unimportant priority: Debian including 3 source packages (python2.7, python3.11, python3.9), 3 status rows across 2 suites (bookworm, bullseye): resolved 3. https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2023-6507
gentoo high CVE-2023-6507: 1 GLSA(s) (202405-01), 4 atom(s) (dev-lang/python, dev-python/pypy3, dev-python/pypy3_10, dev-python/pypy3_9); latest impact high. https://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?quicksearch=CVE-2023-6507
redhat medium — https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2023-6507
ubuntu medium CVE-2023-6507 medium priority: Ubuntu including 6 source packages (python2.7, python3.10, python3.11, python3.12, python3.7, python3.9), 54 status rows across 9 suites (bionic, focal, jammy, lunar, mantic, noble, trusty, upstream, xenial): DNE 21, not-affected 17, ignored 14, released 2. https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2023-6507

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2023-6507

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
python python 3.12.0 cpe:2.3:a:python:python:3.12.0:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
python python 3.13.0 cpe:2.3:a:python:python:3.13.0:alpha1:*:*:*:*:*:*
python python 3.13.0 cpe:2.3:a:python:python:3.13.0:alpha2:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2023-6507

cvelogic Threat Intelligence