Path traversal in spotipy

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

5.4 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L

EPSS

• CVE-2023-23608: 0.66% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 51.55 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Summary If a malicious URI is passed to the library, the library can be tricked into performing an operation on a different API endpoint than intended. Details The code Spotipy uses to parse URIs and URLs accepts user data too liberally which allows a malicious user to insert arbitrary characters into the path that is used for API requests. Because it is possible to include .., an attacker can redirect for example a track lookup via spotifyApi.track() to an arbitrary API endpoint like playlists, but this is possible for other endpoints as well. Before the security advisory feature was enabled on GitHub, I was already in contact with Stéphane Bruckert via e-mail, and he asked me to look into a potential fix. My recommendation is to perform stricter parsing of URLs and URIs, which I implemented in the patch included at the end of the report. If you prefer, I can also invite you to a private fork of the repository. Impact The impact of this vulnerability depends heavily on what…

Published by the source

23 Jan 2023, 22:05 UTC

Last modified by the source

10 Sep 2026, 03:49 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 13:11 UTC

1. Revision 2 · amended · 26 Oct 2026

   Amended from ghsa record GHSA-q764-g6fm-555v

2. Revision 1 · created · 24 Oct 2026

   Published from osv record GHSA-q764-g6fm-555v

Preview the exact text before you copy it. Commands are read-only suggestions; review them before running anything.

# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2023-23608

Advisory: Path traversal in spotipy
IDs: CVE-2023-23608, GHSA-q764-g6fm-555v
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2023-23608 (revision 2, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 13:11 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Medium (CVSS 5.4)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: spotipy 2.22.1. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- PyPI spotipy: affected < 2.22.1; fixed in 2.22.1

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- `python -m pip show spotipy`: prints the installed version. Run with the environment that serves production active.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on spotipy.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-q764-g6fm-555v (OSV record GHSA-q764-g6fm-555v lists affected ranges: PyPI spotipy >=0 <2.22.1 (fixed))
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-q764-g6fm-555v (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-q764-g6fm-555v lists affected ranges: PyPI spotipy >=0 <2.22.1)

Commands are suggestions: review each one before running it.