CVE-2020-5252
MEDIUMDescription
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
No published remediation has been found for this vulnerability's affected products yet.
Mitigation guidance may be in the linked vendor advisories in the References section below.
TridentStack Control tracks known vulnerabilities across your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet and shows the fix as soon as one is published. See how it works
CVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:N
Exploit Intelligence
Low risk: more likely to be exploited than 29% of all known CVEs.
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-807 vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2026-34486 | High | 7.5 | 81% | KEV | Fix |
| CVE-2026-21509 | High | 7.8 | 72% | KEV | Fix |
| CVE-2024-13974 | High | 8.1 | 6.7% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2021-41129 | High | 8.1 | 1.8% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2026-21514 | High | 7.8 | 1.5% | KEV | - |
| CVE-2025-49827 | Critical | 9.8 | 1.4% | - | Fix |
Common questions
How do I fix CVE-2020-5252?
No published fix for CVE-2020-5252 has been found yet. Check the linked vendor advisories for guidance as it becomes available.
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 29% 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.
Embed a live status badge for CVE-2020-5252
Markdown
[](https://tridentstack.com/cve/CVE-2020-5252)HTML
<a href="https://tridentstack.com/cve/CVE-2020-5252"><img src="https://tridentstack.com/cve/badge/CVE-2020-5252.svg" alt="CVE-2020-5252"></a>Find and fix vulnerabilities across your fleet
TridentStack Control continuously scans your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet for known vulnerabilities, prioritizes them by severity and active exploitation, and patches them automatically.
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 2024-11-21.