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🛡️ CVE-2023-32309 — pymdown-extensions

🟠 CVSS 8.0 — High ⚠️ Exploit Public CWE-22 OSV
8.0
CVSS Score
0 Low4 Medium7 High9 Critical10

Description

Any file can be included with the pymdown-snippets extension

Summary

Arbitrary file read when using include file syntax.

Details

By using the syntax --8<--"/etc/passwd" or --8<--"/proc/self/environ" the content of these files will be rendered in the generated documentation. Additionally, a path relative to a specified, allowed base path can also be used to render the content of a file outside the specified base paths: --8<-- "../../../../etc/passwd".

Within the Snippets extension, there exists a base_path option but the implementation is vulnerable to Directory Traversal.

The vulnerable section exists in get_snippet_path(self, path) lines 155 to 174 in snippets.py.

```

base = "docs"

path = "/etc/passwd"

filename = os.path.join(base,path) # Filename is now /etc/passwd

```

PoC

```py

import markdown

payload = "--8<-- \"/etc/passwd\""

html = markdown.markdown(payload, extensions=['pymdownx.snippets'])

print(html)

```

Impact

Any readable file on the host where the plugin is executing may have its content exposed. This can impact any use of Snippets that exposes the use of Snippets to external users.

It is never recommended to use Snippets to process user-facing, dynamic content. It is designed to process known content on the backend under the control of the host, but if someone were to accidentally enable it for user-facing content, undesired information could be exposed.

Suggestion

Specified snippets should be restricted to the configured, specified base paths as a safe default. Allowing relative or absolute paths that escape the specified base paths would need to be behind a feature switch that must be opt-in and would be at the developer's own risk.

How this vulnerability can be exploited

This issue can be reached over the network, attack complexity is low, an attacker needs no privileges on the target. No user interaction is required. The scope is unchanged, so the impact stays within the vulnerable component. Rated impact: confidentiality high, integrity none, availability none.

CVSS metrics in full

The score comes from this vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

  • Attack vector: Network — reachable from anywhere that can route to the service.
  • Attack complexity: Low — the attack works reliably, with no preparation.
  • Privileges required: None — an unauthenticated stranger can try it.
  • User interaction: None — nobody has to be tricked into anything.
  • Scope: Unchanged — the damage stays inside the vulnerable component.
  • Confidentiality impact: High — total loss, or loss the attacker controls.
  • Integrity impact: None.
  • Availability impact: None.

Weakness class

CVE-2023-32309 is classified as CWE-22: Path Traversal. A file path built from user input is not confined to the intended directory, letting an attacker reach files elsewhere on the filesystem.

Affected software

CVE-2023-32309 is recorded against 1 package.

  • pymdown-extensions (from 1.5 up to 10.0)

Timeline and source

Published on 7 July 2026. A public exploit is known to exist, which raises the urgency of patching considerably. A vendor advisory or fix has been published. Record sourced from OSV.

References

github.com (Web)
nvd.nist.gov (Advisory)
github.com (Web)
github.com (Package)
github.com (Web)
pypi.org (Package)
github.com (Advisory)

Other advisories for this package

pymdown-extensions has other advisories on record. If you are patching this one, these are worth checking on the same host:

Same weakness in other software

These advisories are the same class of weakness (CWE-22: Path Traversal) in other software:

Details

Severity HIGH
CVSS Score 8.0
CVSS Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
CWE CWE-22
Public Exploit ⚠️ Yes
Source OSV
Published 2026-07-07
Updated 2026-08-20
Modified 2026-07-07

Affected Packages

Software From version Fixed in
pymdown-extensions 1.5 10.0

Exploit Protection

Are you running pymdown-extensions?

CVE-2023-32309 carries CVSS 8.0 High rating and a public exploit already exists. BotEraser checks your installation against this and other known CVE records, and blocks IPs associated with exploit activity.

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