# Security Audit Report - 2025-12-31
## Executive Summary
**Date**: 2025-12-31
**Auditor**: Claude Security Auditor
**Project**: session-buddy v0.10.4
**Platform**: macOS (darwin) / Python 3.13.11
### Results
- **Vulnerabilities Found**: 1 (down from reported 55)
- **Severity**: Medium (platform-specific)
- **Action Required**: Accept risk with documentation (no fix available)
______________________________________________________________________
## Vulnerability Details
### CVE-2025-53000 / GHSA-xm59-rqc7-hhvf
| Attribute | Value |
|-----------|-------|
| **Package** | nbconvert 7.16.6 |
| **CVE ID** | CVE-2025-53000 |
| **GHSA** | GHSA-xm59-rqc7-hhvf |
| **Severity** | Medium (7.1 CVSS) |
| **Fix Available** | No (`fix_versions: []`) |
| **Platform Affected** | Windows only |
### Description
On Windows, converting a notebook containing SVG output to a PDF results in unauthorized code execution. Specifically, a third party can create a `inkscape.bat` file that defines a Windows batch script, capable of arbitrary code execution.
When a user runs `jupyter nbconvert --to pdf` on a notebook containing SVG output to a PDF on a Windows platform from this directory, the `inkscape.bat` file is run unexpectedly.
**Root Cause**: CWE-427 (Uncontrolled Search Path Element) - The vulnerability occurs because nbconvert searches for the `inkscape` executable using a path that includes the current working directory on Windows.
### Attack Vector
1. Attacker creates a malicious `inkscape.bat` file in a directory
1. Attacker creates or places a `.ipynb` file with SVG content in the same directory
1. Victim runs `jupyter nbconvert --to pdf notebook.ipynb` from that directory on Windows
1. The malicious `inkscape.bat` is executed instead of the legitimate inkscape binary
______________________________________________________________________
## Risk Assessment for session-buddy
### Actual Risk: **ACCEPTABLE**
**Justification:**
1. **Platform Exclusion**: The vulnerability is **Windows-specific only**. Session-buddy is developed on macOS (`darwin` platform confirmed).
1. **No Direct Usage**: The vulnerable package (`nbconvert`) is not used directly by session-buddy. It is a transitive dependency:
```
session-buddy -> crackerjack -> creosote -> nbconvert
```
1. **No nbconvert Usage**: session-buddy does not:
- Convert Jupyter notebooks
- Use the `--to pdf` flag
- Process SVG content through nbconvert
- Accept user-provided notebook files
1. **Development Dependency**: The vulnerable package is only used via `crackerjack`, which is a development dependency for code quality checking.
1. **No Fix Available**: The latest version of nbconvert (7.16.6) has no available fix. Removing the dependency would require removing crackerjack, which is a core development tool.
______________________________________________________________________
## Mitigation Strategies
### Current Mitigation (In Place)
1. **Platform Protection**: Development occurs on macOS, not Windows
1. **No User Input**: Session-buddy does not accept or process notebooks from users
1. **Development-Only**: The vulnerable code path is only accessible during development
### Additional Mitigations (If Needed)
If Windows development is required in the future:
1. **Disable nbconvert**: Add to `.gitignore` or explicitly exclude from requirements
1. **Use Container**: Run crackerjack in a Docker container with isolated file system
1. **Monitor Updates**: Watch for nbconvert security updates
1. **Alternative Linters**: Consider alternatives to creosote/crackerjack that don't use nbconvert
______________________________________________________________________
## Dependency Tree Analysis
```
session-buddy
- crackerjack (0.47.0)
- creosote (4.1.0)
- nbconvert (7.16.6) [VULNERABLE]
- beautifulsoup4
- bleach
- defusedxml
- jinja2
- jupyter-core
- jupyterlab-pygments
- markupsafe
- mistune
- nbclient
- nbformat
- packaging
- pandocfilters
- pygments
- traitlets
```
______________________________________________________________________
## Other Packages Audited
All other packages (250+ total) were audited with **0 vulnerabilities found**:
| Package | Version | Status |
|---------|---------|--------|
| anthropic | 0.75.0 | No known vulnerabilities |
| openai | 2.14.0 | No known vulnerabilities |
| aiohttp | 3.13.2 | No known vulnerabilities |
| fastapi | 0.128.0 | No known vulnerabilities |
| cryptography | 46.0.3 | No known vulnerabilities |
| All other packages | - | No known vulnerabilities |
______________________________________________________________________
## Recommendations
1. **Continue Monitoring**: Run `pip-audit` monthly to check for nbconvert updates
1. **Document Decision**: Record this risk acceptance in project documentation
1. **No Immediate Action**: No package removal or changes needed at this time
1. **Windows Awareness**: If adding Windows developers, ensure they understand the limitation
______________________________________________________________________
## Command Reference
```bash
# Run security audit
pip-audit
# Run with JSON output
pip-audit --format json
# Check specific package
uv pip show nbconvert
# View dependency tree
uv pip list
```
______________________________________________________________________
## Audit Sign-Off
**Audited By**: Claude Security Auditor
**Date**: 2025-12-31
**Status**: COMPLETE - 1 vulnerability identified and assessed as acceptable risk
**Next Audit**: 2025-02-01 (or sooner if nbconvert update is released)
