CVE-2023-5752: Mercurial configuration injectable in repo revision when installing via pip

Severity: low (CVSS 3.3 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.5% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2023-10-25 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-77

Description

When installing a package from a Mercurial VCS URL (ie "pip install hg+...") with pip prior to v23.3, the specified Mercurial revision could be used to inject arbitrary configuration options to the "hg clone" call (ie "--config"). Controlling the Mercurial configuration can modify how and which repository is installed. This vulnerability does not affect users who aren't installing from Mercurial.

Affected products

Python Packaging Authority pip: before 23.3 — fixed in 23.3
Pypi Pip: before 23.3; 0.2, 0.2.1, 0.3, 0.3.1, 0.4, 0.5 (+128) — fixed in 23.3

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Python Packaging Authority pip 23.3; Pypi Pip 23.3. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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