CVE & CISA-KEV Catalog

CVE-2020-5252

MEDIUM
5.0
CVSS v3
NVD

Description

The command-line "safety" package for Python has a potential security issue. There are two Python characteristics that allow malicious code to “poison-pill” command-line Safety package detection routines by disguising, or obfuscating, other malicious or non-secure packages. This vulnerability is considered to be of low severity because the attack makes use of an existing Python condition, not the Safety tool itself. This can happen if: You are running Safety in a Python environment that you don’t trust. You are running Safety from the same Python environment where you have your dependencies installed. Dependency packages are being installed arbitrarily or without proper verification. Users can mitigate this issue by doing any of the following: Perform a static analysis by installing Docker and running the Safety Docker image: $ docker run --rm -it pyupio/safety check -r requirements.txt Run Safety against a static dependencies list, such as the requirements.txt file, in a separate, clean Python environment. Run Safety from a Continuous Integration pipeline. Use PyUp.io, which runs Safety in a controlled environment and checks Python for dependencies without any need to install them. Use PyUp's Online Requirements Checker.

How to fix

Remediation Available
safetyPyPI (Python)
Fixed in:1.9.0GHSA-7q25-qrjw-6fg2

TridentStack Control can deploy fixes like this automatically across your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet. See how it works

Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.

CVSS v3 Vector

Exploitability

Attack VectorLocal
Attack ComplexityHigh
Privileges RequiredHigh
User InteractionRequired
ScopeChanged

Impact

ConfidentialityNone
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityNone

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

Exploit Intelligence

0.37%probability of exploitation in 30 days
30thpercentile

Low risk: more likely to be exploited than 30% of all known CVEs.

References

Vendor Advisory1
Mitigation1
Third-Party Advisory1

Related Vulnerabilities

Other CWE-807 vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all

CVESeverityCVSSEPSSExploitedFix
CVE-2026-34486High7.599%KEVFix
CVE-2026-21509High7.873%KEVFix
CVE-2024-13974High8.17.2%-Fix
CVE-2021-41129High8.11.8%-Fix
CVE-2026-21514High7.81.5%KEV-
CVE-2025-49827Critical9.81.4%-Fix

Common questions

How do I fix CVE-2020-5252?

Upgrade safety to 1.9.0 or later.

Is CVE-2020-5252 being actively exploited?

Not that we know of. CVE-2020-5252 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 0.37% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 30% of all scored CVEs.

How severe is CVE-2020-5252?

CVE-2020-5252 has a CVSS v3 base score of 5.0, rated medium. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.

What does CVE-2020-5252 affect?

Published advisories record a fix for safety (PyPI (Python)). Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.

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This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2026-06-17.