CVE-2024-28179

Jupyter Server Proxy allows users to run arbitrary external processes alongside their Jupyter notebook servers and provides authenticated web access. Prior to versions 3.2.3 and 4.1.1, Jupyter Server Proxy did not check user authentication appropriately when proxying websockets, allowing unauthenticated access to anyone who had network access to the Jupyter server endpoint. This vulnerability can allow unauthenticated remote access to any websocket endpoint set up to be accessible via Jupyter Server Proxy. In many cases, this leads to remote unauthenticated arbitrary code execution, due to how affected instances use websockets. The websocket endpoints exposed by jupyter_server itself is not affected. Projects that do not rely on websockets are also not affected. Versions 3.2.3 and 4.1.1 contain a fix for this issue.

Jupyter Server Proxy allows users to run arbitrary external processes alongside their Jupyter notebook servers and provides authenticated web access. Prior to versions 3.2.3 and 4.1.1, Jupyter Server Proxy did not check user authentication appropriately when proxying websockets, allowing unauthenticated access to anyone who had network access to the Jupyter server endpoint. This vulnerability can allow unauthenticated remote access to any websocket endpoint set up to be accessible via Jupyter Server Proxy. In many cases, this leads to remote unauthenticated arbitrary code execution, due to how affected instances use websockets. The websocket endpoints exposed by jupyter_server itself is not affected. Projects that do not rely on websockets are also not affected. Versions 3.2.3 and 4.1.1 contain a fix for this issue.

Summary

jupyter-server-proxy is used to expose ports local to a Jupyter server listening to web traffic to the Jupyter server's authenticated users by proxying web requests and websockets. Dependent packages (partial list) also use jupyter-server-proxy to expose other popular interactive applications (such as RStudio, Linux Desktop via VNC, Code Server, Panel, etc) along with the Jupyter server. This feature is commonly used in hosted environments (such as a JupyterHub) to expose non-Jupyter interactive frontends or APIs to the user.

jupyter-server-proxy did not check user authentication appropriately when proxying websockets, allowing unauthenticated access to anyone who had network access to the Jupyter server endpoint.

Impact

This vulnerability can allow unauthenticated remote access to any websocket endpoint set up to be accessible via jupyter-server-proxy. In many cases (such as when exposing RStudio via jupyter-rsession-proxy or a remote Linux Desktop / VNC via jupyter-remote-desktop-proxy), this leads to remote unauthenticated arbitrary code execution, due to how they use websockets. The websocket endpoints exposed by jupyter_server itself is not affected. Projects that do not rely on websockets are also not affected.

Remediation

Upgrade jupyter-server-proxy to a patched version and restart any running Jupyter server.

You may not be installing jupyter-server-proxy directly, but have it be pulled in as a dependency (partial list of dependent packages) - so you may be vulnerable even if you aren't directly depending on jupyter-server-proxy.

For JupyterHub admins of TLJH installations

<details><summary>Expand to read more</summary>

To secure a tljh deployment's user servers, first check if jupyter-server-proxy is installed in the user environment with a vulnerable version. If it is, patch the vulnerability and consider terminating currently running user servers.

1. Check for vulnerability

As an JupyterHub admin from a terminal in a started user server, you can do:

sudo -E python3 -c '
try:
    import jupyter_server_proxy
    is_vulnerable = not hasattr(jupyter_server_proxy, "__version__")
except:
    is_vulnerable = False
if is_vulnerable:
    print("WARNING: jupyter-server-proxy __is vulnerable__ to GHSA-w3vc-fx9p-wp4v, see https://github.com/jupyterhub/jupyter-server-proxy/security/advisories/GHSA-w3vc-fx9p-wp4v.")
else:
    print("INFO: not vulnerable to GHSA-w3vc-fx9p-wp4v")
'

Alternatively as a root user on the server where tljh is installed, you can do:

sudo PATH=/opt/tljh/user/bin:${PATH} python3 -c '
try:
    import jupyter_server_proxy
    is_vulnerable = not hasattr(jupyter_server_proxy, "__version__")
except:
    is_vulnerable = False
if is_vulnerable:
    print("WARNING: jupyter-server-proxy __is vulnerable__ to GHSA-w3vc-fx9p-wp4v, see https://github.com/jupyterhub/jupyter-server-proxy/security/advisories/GHSA-w3vc-fx9p-wp4v.")
else:
    print("INFO: not vulnerable to GHSA-w3vc-fx9p-wp4v")
'

2. Patch detected vulnerability

As an JupyterHub admin from a terminal in a started user server, you can do:

sudo -E pip install "jupyter-server-proxy>=3.2.3,!=4.0.0,!=4.1.0"

Alternatively as a root user on the server where tljh is installed, you can do:

sudo PATH=/opt/tljh/user/bin:${PATH} pip install "jupyter-server-proxy>=3.2.3,!=4.0.0,!=4.1.0"

3. Consider terminating currently running user servers

…

Jupyter Server Proxy allows users to run arbitrary external processes alongside their Jupyter notebook servers and provides authenticated web access. Prior to versions 3.2.3 and 4.1.1, Jupyter Server Proxy did not check user authentication appropriately when proxying websockets, allowing unauthenticated access to anyone who had network access to the Jupyter server endpoint. This vulnerability can allow unauthenticated remote access to any websocket endpoint set up to be accessible via Jupyter Server Proxy. In many cases, this leads to remote unauthenticated arbitrary code execution, due to how affected instances use websockets. The websocket endpoints exposed by jupyter_server itself is not affected. Projects that do not rely on websockets are also not affected. Versions 3.2.3 and 4.1.1 contain a fix for this issue.

Jupyter Server Proxy allows users to run arbitrary external processes alongside their Jupyter notebook servers and provides authenticated web access. Prior to versions 3.2.3 and 4.1.1, Jupyter Server Proxy did not check user authentication appropriately when proxying websockets, allowing unauthenticated access to anyone who had network access to the Jupyter server endpoint. This vulnerability can allow unauthenticated remote access to any websocket endpoint set up to be accessible via Jupyter Server Proxy. In many cases, this leads to remote unauthenticated arbitrary code execution, due to how affected instances use websockets. The websocket endpoints exposed by jupyter_server itself is not affected. Projects that do not rely on websockets are also not affected. Versions 3.2.3 and 4.1.1 contain a fix for this issue.

Summary

jupyter-server-proxy is used to expose ports local to a Jupyter server listening to web traffic to the Jupyter server's authenticated users by proxying web requests and websockets. Dependent packages (partial list) also use jupyter-server-proxy to expose other popular interactive applications (such as RStudio, Linux Desktop via VNC, Code Server, Panel, etc) along with the Jupyter server. This feature is commonly used in hosted environments (such as a JupyterHub) to expose non-Jupyter interactive frontends or APIs to the user.

jupyter-server-proxy did not check user authentication appropriately when proxying websockets, allowing unauthenticated access to anyone who had network access to the Jupyter server endpoint.

Impact

This vulnerability can allow unauthenticated remote access to any websocket endpoint set up to be accessible via jupyter-server-proxy. In many cases (such as when exposing RStudio via jupyter-rsession-proxy or a remote Linux Desktop / VNC via jupyter-remote-desktop-proxy), this leads to remote unauthenticated arbitrary code execution, due to how they use websockets. The websocket endpoints exposed by jupyter_server itself is not affected. Projects that do not rely on websockets are also not affected.

Remediation

Upgrade jupyter-server-proxy to a patched version and restart any running Jupyter server.

You may not be installing jupyter-server-proxy directly, but have it be pulled in as a dependency (partial list of dependent packages) - so you may be vulnerable even if you aren't directly depending on jupyter-server-proxy.

For JupyterHub admins of TLJH installations

<details><summary>Expand to read more</summary>

To secure a tljh deployment's user servers, first check if jupyter-server-proxy is installed in the user environment with a vulnerable version. If it is, patch the vulnerability and consider terminating currently running user servers.

1. Check for vulnerability

As an JupyterHub admin from a terminal in a started user server, you can do:

sudo -E python3 -c '
try:
    import jupyter_server_proxy
    is_vulnerable = not hasattr(jupyter_server_proxy, "__version__")
except:
    is_vulnerable = False
if is_vulnerable:
    print("WARNING: jupyter-server-proxy __is vulnerable__ to GHSA-w3vc-fx9p-wp4v, see https://github.com/jupyterhub/jupyter-server-proxy/security/advisories/GHSA-w3vc-fx9p-wp4v.")
else:
    print("INFO: not vulnerable to GHSA-w3vc-fx9p-wp4v")
'

Alternatively as a root user on the server where tljh is installed, you can do:

sudo PATH=/opt/tljh/user/bin:${PATH} python3 -c '
try:
    import jupyter_server_proxy
    is_vulnerable = not hasattr(jupyter_server_proxy, "__version__")
except:
    is_vulnerable = False
if is_vulnerable:
    print("WARNING: jupyter-server-proxy __is vulnerable__ to GHSA-w3vc-fx9p-wp4v, see https://github.com/jupyterhub/jupyter-server-proxy/security/advisories/GHSA-w3vc-fx9p-wp4v.")
else:
    print("INFO: not vulnerable to GHSA-w3vc-fx9p-wp4v")
'

2. Patch detected vulnerability

As an JupyterHub admin from a terminal in a started user server, you can do:

sudo -E pip install "jupyter-server-proxy>=3.2.3,!=4.0.0,!=4.1.0"

Alternatively as a root user on the server where tljh is installed, you can do:

sudo PATH=/opt/tljh/user/bin:${PATH} pip install "jupyter-server-proxy>=3.2.3,!=4.0.0,!=4.1.0"

3. Consider terminating currently running user servers

…

Jupyter Server Proxy allows users to run arbitrary external processes alongside their Jupyter notebook servers and provides authenticated web access. Prior to versions 3.2.3 and 4.1.1, Jupyter Server Proxy did not check user authentication appropriately when proxying websockets, allowing unauthenticated access to anyone who had network access to the Jupyter server endpoint. This vulnerability can allow unauthenticated remote access to any websocket endpoint set up to be accessible via Jupyter Server Proxy. In many cases, this leads to remote unauthenticated arbitrary code execution, due to how affected instances use websockets. The websocket endpoints exposed by jupyter_server itself is not affected. Projects that do not rely on websockets are also not affected. Versions 3.2.3 and 4.1.1 contain a fix for this issue.