CVE-2023-48224: Fides is an open-source privacy engineering platform for managing the fulfillment of data privacy requests in a runtime environment, and the enforceme...

Description

Fides is an open-source privacy engineering platform for managing the fulfillment of data privacy requests in a runtime environment, and the enforcement of privacy regulations in code. The Fides Privacy Center allows data subject users to submit privacy and consent requests to data controller users of the Fides web application. Privacy requests allow data subjects to submit a request to access all person data held by the data controller, or delete/erase it. Consent request allows data subject users to modify their privacy preferences for how the data controller uses their personal data e.g. data sales and sharing consent opt-in/opt-out. If `subject_identity_verification_required` in the `[execution]` section of `fides.toml` or the env var `FIDES__EXECUTION__SUBJECT_IDENTITY_VERIFICATION_REQUIRED` is set to `True` on the fides webserver backend, data subjects are sent a one-time code to their email address or phone number, depending on messaging configuration, and the one-time code must be entered in the Privacy Center UI by the data subject before the privacy or consent request is submitted. It was identified that the one-time code values for these requests were generated by the python `random` module, a cryptographically weak pseduo-random number generator (PNRG). If an attacker generates several hundred consecutive one-time codes, this vulnerability allows the attacker to predict all future one-time code values during the lifetime of the backend python process. There is no security impact on data access requests as the personal data download package is not shared in the Privacy Center itself. However, this vulnerability allows an attacker to (i) submit a verified data erasure request, resulting in deletion of data for the targeted user and (ii) submit a verified consent request, modifying a user's privacy preferences. The vulnerability has been patched in Fides version `2.24.0`. Users are advised to upgrade to this version or later to secure their systems against this threat. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

9.1/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H

EPSS Probability

0.99%

58.1th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-338

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Ethyca	Fides	< 2.24.0

References

https://github.com/ethyca/fides/commit/685bae61c203d29ed189f4b066a5223a9bb774c6Patch
https://github.com/ethyca/fides/security/advisories/GHSA-82vr-5769-6358Vendor Advisory
https://peps.python.org/pep-0506/Technical Description
https://github.com/ethyca/fides/commit/685bae61c203d29ed189f4b066a5223a9bb774c6Patch
https://github.com/ethyca/fides/security/advisories/GHSA-82vr-5769-6358Vendor Advisory
https://peps.python.org/pep-0506/Technical Description

Timeline

Published: Nov 15, 2023
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-48224?

Fides is an open-source privacy engineering platform for managing the fulfillment of data privacy requests in a runtime environment, and the enforcement of privacy regulations in code. The Fides Privacy Center allows data subject users to submit privacy and consent requests to data controller users of the Fides web application. Privacy requests allow data subjects to submit a request to access all person data held by the data controller, or delete/erase it. Consent request allows data subject users to modify their privacy preferences for how the data controller uses their personal data e.g. data sales and sharing consent opt-in/opt-out. If `subject_identity_verification_required` in the `[execution]` section of `fides.toml` or the env var `FIDES__EXECUTION__SUBJECT_IDENTITY_VERIFICATION_REQUIRED` is set to `True` on the fides webserver backend, data subjects are sent a one-time code to their email address or phone number, depending on messaging configuration, and the one-time code must be entered in the Privacy Center UI by the data subject before the privacy or consent request is submitted. It was identified that the one-time code values for these requests were generated by the python `random` module, a cryptographically weak pseduo-random number generator (PNRG). If an attacker generates several hundred consecutive one-time codes, this vulnerability allows the attacker to predict all future one-time code values during the lifetime of the backend python process. There is no security impact on data access requests as the personal data download package is not shared in the Privacy Center itself. However, this vulnerability allows an attacker to (i) submit a verified data erasure request, resulting in deletion of data for the targeted user and (ii) submit a verified consent request, modifying a user's privacy preferences. The vulnerability has been patched in Fides version `2.24.0`. Users are advised to upgrade to this version or later to secure their systems against this threat. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.

How severe is CVE-2023-48224?

CVE-2023-48224 has a CVSS score of 9.1/10 (CRITICAL severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.99% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2023-48224?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.