CVE-2017-16618 — An exploitable vulnerability exists in the YAML loading functionality of util
An exploitable vulnerability exists in the YAML loading functionality of util.py in OwlMixin before 2.0.0a12. A "Load YAML" string or file (aka load_yaml or load_yamlf) can execute arbitrary Python commands resulting in command execution because load is used where safe_
Published
2017-11-08T03:29:00.277
Last modified
2026-05-13T00:24:29.033
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
01What is this vulnerability?
An exploitable vulnerability exists in the YAML loading functionality of util.py in OwlMixin before 2.0.0a12. A "Load YAML" string or file (aka load_yaml or load_yamlf) can execute arbitrary Python commands resulting in command execution because load is used where safe_load should have been used. An attacker can insert Python into loaded YAML to trigger this vulnerability.
02Affected products
No structured affected-product list available — see references below for vendor advisories.
03Active exploitation status
Not currently listed on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. EPSS is the best forward-looking signal — see the EPSS row above.
04Recommended remediation
- Patch to a fixed version listed in the vendor advisory (see references below).
- Mitigate with WAF rules, network egress filters, or feature flags where the patch is not yet available.
- Hunt historical logs for exploitation indicators — see Detection signatures below.
05Technical details
For the full vendor write-up, exploit chains, and reference implementations, see the references list in section 09.
06Detection signatures
Ask SARA in chat to draft a starting detection for this CVE in your stack of choice.
07Related CVEs
No directly-cited follow-up CVEs in the KB record for this advisory. The references list in section 09 carries the vendor cross-references.
08Timeline
- Published: 2017-11-08T03:29:00.277
- Last modified: 2026-05-13T00:24:29.033
09References
- github.com — https://github.com/tadashi-aikawa/owlmixin/commit/5d0575303f6df869a515ced4285f24…
- github.com — https://github.com/tadashi-aikawa/owlmixin/issues/12
- joel-malwarebenchmark.github.io — https://joel-malwarebenchmark.github.io/blog/2017/11/08/cve-2017-16618-convert-t…
- github.com — https://github.com/tadashi-aikawa/owlmixin/commit/5d0575303f6df869a515ced4285f24…
- github.com — https://github.com/tadashi-aikawa/owlmixin/issues/12
- joel-malwarebenchmark.github.io — https://joel-malwarebenchmark.github.io/blog/2017/11/08/cve-2017-16618-convert-t…
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