Insertion of Sensitive Information Into Sent Data in answerdev/answer
Description
Insertion of Sensitive Information Into Sent Data in GitHub repository answerdev/answer prior to 1.0.8.
AI Insight
LLM-synthesized narrative grounded in this CVE's description and references.
CVE-2023-1975: Answer before 1.0.8 leaks EXIF metadata from uploaded images, exposing sensitive location and device data.
Root
Cause
CVE-2023-1975 is an information disclosure vulnerability in the open-source Q&A platform Answer (now Apache Answer). The software failed to strip EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) metadata from user-uploaded images before storing or transmitting them. EXIF headers commonly contain sensitive fields such as GPS coordinates, camera serial numbers, and timestamps. The fix, introduced in commit ac3f2f0, added dependencies to detect and remove EXIF data from JPEG and PNG files [1][2].
Attack
Vector
An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by simply viewing an image uploaded by a victim within the Answer platform (any version prior to 1.0.8). No authentication is required beyond normal access to the platform's public content. The attacker does not need to interact with the upload process; any image that reaches the platform's storage retains its full EXIF metadata. The vulnerability is triggered passively when the image is served to the client [2][4].
Impact
Successful exploitation allows an attacker to extract private information embedded in the EXIF data of images. For a user who uploaded a photo taken with a smartphone or digital camera, this can reveal precise geolocation information, the device model, and the exact date/time the photo was taken. This leakage violates user privacy and can enable physical tracking or profiling of platform users. The vulnerability is classified as 'Insertion of Sensitive Information Into Sent Data' (CWE-201), with a CVSS v3.1 score of 6.5 (Medium) [2][4].
Mitigation
The issue was patched in Answer version 1.0.8 by integrating go-exif and go-jpeg-image-structure libraries to clean EXIF data on upload. Users should upgrade to version 1.0.8 or later. No known workarounds exist; as of the CVE publication date (April 11, 2023), the project was not on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, but the attack surface is significant for any instance that allows image attachments [1][2][3].
AI Insight generated on May 20, 2026. Synthesized from this CVE's description and the cited reference URLs; citations are validated against the source bundle.
Affected packages
Versions sourced from the GitHub Security Advisory.
| Package | Affected versions | Patched versions |
|---|---|---|
github.com/answerdev/answerGo | < 1.0.8 | 1.0.8 |
Affected products
2- answerdev/answerdev/answerv5Range: unspecified
Patches
13 files changed · +51 −7
go.mod+10 −3 modified@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ require ( github.com/mojocn/base64Captcha v1.3.5 github.com/ory/dockertest/v3 v3.9.1 github.com/robfig/cron/v3 v3.0.1 + github.com/scottleedavis/go-exif-remove v0.0.0-20230314195146-7e059d593405 github.com/segmentfault/pacman v1.0.3 github.com/segmentfault/pacman/contrib/cache/memory v0.0.0-20221219081300-f734f4a16aa0 github.com/segmentfault/pacman/contrib/conf/viper v0.0.0-20221018072427-a15dd1434e05 @@ -41,7 +42,7 @@ require ( github.com/tidwall/gjson v1.14.4 github.com/yuin/goldmark v1.4.13 golang.org/x/crypto v0.1.0 - golang.org/x/net v0.2.0 + golang.org/x/net v0.7.0 gopkg.in/gomail.v2 v2.0.0-20160411212932-81ebce5c23df gopkg.in/yaml.v3 v3.0.1 modernc.org/sqlite v1.14.2 @@ -64,14 +65,20 @@ require ( github.com/docker/docker v20.10.7+incompatible // indirect github.com/docker/go-connections v0.4.0 // indirect github.com/docker/go-units v0.4.0 // indirect + github.com/dsoprea/go-exif v0.0.0-20190901173045-3ce78807c90f // indirect + github.com/dsoprea/go-jpeg-image-structure v0.0.0-20190422055009-d6f9ba25cf48 // indirect + github.com/dsoprea/go-logging v0.0.0-20190624164917-c4f10aab7696 // indirect + github.com/dsoprea/go-png-image-structure v0.0.0-20190624104353-c9b28dcdc5c8 // indirect github.com/fsnotify/fsnotify v1.6.0 // indirect github.com/gin-contrib/sse v0.1.0 // indirect + github.com/go-errors/errors v1.0.1 // indirect github.com/go-openapi/jsonpointer v0.19.5 // indirect github.com/go-openapi/jsonreference v0.20.0 // indirect github.com/go-openapi/spec v0.20.7 // indirect github.com/go-openapi/swag v0.22.3 // indirect github.com/gogo/protobuf v1.3.2 // indirect github.com/golang/freetype v0.0.0-20170609003504-e2365dfdc4a0 // indirect + github.com/golang/geo v0.0.0-20190812012225-f41920e961ce // indirect github.com/golang/snappy v0.0.4 // indirect github.com/google/shlex v0.0.0-20191202100458-e7afc7fbc510 // indirect github.com/gorilla/css v1.0.0 // indirect @@ -121,8 +128,8 @@ require ( go.uber.org/zap v1.23.0 // indirect golang.org/x/image v0.1.0 // indirect golang.org/x/mod v0.6.0 // indirect - golang.org/x/sys v0.2.0 // indirect - golang.org/x/text v0.5.0 // indirect + golang.org/x/sys v0.5.0 // indirect + golang.org/x/text v0.7.0 // indirect golang.org/x/tools v0.2.0 // indirect google.golang.org/protobuf v1.28.1 // indirect gopkg.in/alexcesaro/quotedprintable.v3 v3.0.0-20150716171945-2caba252f4dc // indirect
go.sum+22 −4 modified@@ -143,6 +143,14 @@ github.com/docker/go-connections v0.4.0 h1:El9xVISelRB7BuFusrZozjnkIM5YnzCViNKoh github.com/docker/go-connections v0.4.0/go.mod h1:Gbd7IOopHjR8Iph03tsViu4nIes5XhDvyHbTtUxmeec= github.com/docker/go-units v0.4.0 h1:3uh0PgVws3nIA0Q+MwDC8yjEPf9zjRfZZWXZYDct3Tw= github.com/docker/go-units v0.4.0/go.mod h1:fgPhTUdO+D/Jk86RDLlptpiXQzgHJF7gydDDbaIK4Dk= +github.com/dsoprea/go-exif v0.0.0-20190901173045-3ce78807c90f h1:vqfYiZ+xF0xJvl9SZ1kovmMgKjaGZIz/Hn8JDQdyd9A= +github.com/dsoprea/go-exif v0.0.0-20190901173045-3ce78807c90f/go.mod h1:DmMpU91/Ax6BAwoRkjgRCr2rmgEgS4tsmatfV7M+U+c= +github.com/dsoprea/go-jpeg-image-structure v0.0.0-20190422055009-d6f9ba25cf48 h1:9zARagUAxQJjibcDy+0+koUMR6sbX38L49Bk2Vni628= +github.com/dsoprea/go-jpeg-image-structure v0.0.0-20190422055009-d6f9ba25cf48/go.mod h1:H1hAaFyv9cRV1ywoHvaqVoNSThBvWZ0JarRBcV+FSnE= +github.com/dsoprea/go-logging v0.0.0-20190624164917-c4f10aab7696 h1:VGFnZAcLwPpt1sHlAxml+pGLZz9A2s+K/s1YNhPC91Y= +github.com/dsoprea/go-logging v0.0.0-20190624164917-c4f10aab7696/go.mod h1:Nm/x2ZUNRW6Fe5C3LxdY1PyZY5wmDv/s5dkPJ/VB3iA= +github.com/dsoprea/go-png-image-structure v0.0.0-20190624104353-c9b28dcdc5c8 h1:SVQfy5rBFZXzvGkU2MZ0RzpS912/1sJrEJ+FMmeaC9U= +github.com/dsoprea/go-png-image-structure v0.0.0-20190624104353-c9b28dcdc5c8/go.mod h1:Bf0nmcDFFRQBjZwr9qY6c0zTxKQa+Q8YWZmlYxXGxY0= github.com/dustin/go-humanize v0.0.0-20171111073723-bb3d318650d4/go.mod h1:HtrtbFcZ19U5GC7JDqmcUSB87Iq5E25KnS6fMYU6eOk= github.com/dustin/go-humanize v1.0.0 h1:VSnTsYCnlFHaM2/igO1h6X3HA71jcobQuxemgkq4zYo= github.com/dustin/go-humanize v1.0.0/go.mod h1:HtrtbFcZ19U5GC7JDqmcUSB87Iq5E25KnS6fMYU6eOk= @@ -173,6 +181,8 @@ github.com/gin-contrib/sse v0.1.0/go.mod h1:RHrZQHXnP2xjPF+u1gW/2HnVO7nvIa9PG3Gm github.com/gin-gonic/gin v1.7.0/go.mod h1:jD2toBW3GZUr5UMcdrwQA10I7RuaFOl/SGeDjXkfUtY= github.com/gin-gonic/gin v1.8.1 h1:4+fr/el88TOO3ewCmQr8cx/CtZ/umlIRIs5M4NTNjf8= github.com/gin-gonic/gin v1.8.1/go.mod h1:ji8BvRH1azfM+SYow9zQ6SZMvR8qOMZHmsCuWR9tTTk= +github.com/go-errors/errors v1.0.1 h1:LUHzmkK3GUKUrL/1gfBUxAHzcev3apQlezX/+O7ma6w= +github.com/go-errors/errors v1.0.1/go.mod h1:f4zRHt4oKfwPJE5k8C9vpYG+aDHdBFUsgrm6/TyX73Q= github.com/go-gl/glfw v0.0.0-20190409004039-e6da0acd62b1/go.mod h1:vR7hzQXu2zJy9AVAgeJqvqgH9Q5CA+iKCZ2gyEVpxRU= github.com/go-gl/glfw/v3.3/glfw v0.0.0-20191125211704-12ad95a8df72/go.mod h1:tQ2UAYgL5IevRw8kRxooKSPJfGvJ9fJQFa0TUsXzTg8= github.com/go-gl/glfw/v3.3/glfw v0.0.0-20200222043503-6f7a984d4dc4/go.mod h1:tQ2UAYgL5IevRw8kRxooKSPJfGvJ9fJQFa0TUsXzTg8= @@ -229,6 +239,8 @@ github.com/gogo/protobuf v1.3.2/go.mod h1:P1XiOD3dCwIKUDQYPy72D8LYyHL2YPYrpS2s69 github.com/golang-sql/civil v0.0.0-20190719163853-cb61b32ac6fe/go.mod h1:8vg3r2VgvsThLBIFL93Qb5yWzgyZWhEmBwUJWevAkK0= github.com/golang/freetype v0.0.0-20170609003504-e2365dfdc4a0 h1:DACJavvAHhabrF08vX0COfcOBJRhZ8lUbR+ZWIs0Y5g= github.com/golang/freetype v0.0.0-20170609003504-e2365dfdc4a0/go.mod h1:E/TSTwGwJL78qG/PmXZO1EjYhfJinVAhrmmHX6Z8B9k= +github.com/golang/geo v0.0.0-20190812012225-f41920e961ce h1:rqIKPpIcEgiNn0KYNFYD34TbMO86l4woyhNzSP+Oegs= +github.com/golang/geo v0.0.0-20190812012225-f41920e961ce/go.mod h1:QZ0nwyI2jOfgRAoBvP+ab5aRr7c9x7lhGEJrKvBwjWI= github.com/golang/glog v0.0.0-20160126235308-23def4e6c14b/go.mod h1:SBH7ygxi8pfUlaOkMMuAQtPIUF8ecWP5IEl/CR7VP2Q= github.com/golang/groupcache v0.0.0-20160516000752-02826c3e7903/go.mod h1:cIg4eruTrX1D+g88fzRXU5OdNfaM+9IcxsU14FzY7Hc= github.com/golang/groupcache v0.0.0-20190702054246-869f871628b6/go.mod h1:cIg4eruTrX1D+g88fzRXU5OdNfaM+9IcxsU14FzY7Hc= @@ -605,6 +617,8 @@ github.com/russross/blackfriday/v2 v2.1.0/go.mod h1:+Rmxgy9KzJVeS9/2gXHxylqXiyQD github.com/ryanuber/columnize v0.0.0-20160712163229-9b3edd62028f/go.mod h1:sm1tb6uqfes/u+d4ooFouqFdy9/2g9QGwK3SQygK0Ts= github.com/samuel/go-zookeeper v0.0.0-20190923202752-2cc03de413da/go.mod h1:gi+0XIa01GRL2eRQVjQkKGqKF3SF9vZR/HnPullcV2E= github.com/satori/go.uuid v1.2.0/go.mod h1:dA0hQrYB0VpLJoorglMZABFdXlWrHn1NEOzdhQKdks0= +github.com/scottleedavis/go-exif-remove v0.0.0-20230314195146-7e059d593405 h1:2ieGkj4z/YPXVyQ2ayZUg3GwE1pYWd5f1RB6DzAOXKM= +github.com/scottleedavis/go-exif-remove v0.0.0-20230314195146-7e059d593405/go.mod h1:rIxVzVLKlBwLxO+lC+k/I4HJfRQcemg/f/76Xmmzsec= github.com/sean-/seed v0.0.0-20170313163322-e2103e2c3529/go.mod h1:DxrIzT+xaE7yg65j358z/aeFdxmN0P9QXhEzd20vsDc= github.com/seccomp/libseccomp-golang v0.9.2-0.20210429002308-3879420cc921/go.mod h1:JA8cRccbGaA1s33RQf7Y1+q9gHmZX1yB/z9WDN1C6fg= github.com/segmentfault/pacman v1.0.3 h1:/K8LJHQMiCaCIvC/e8GQITpYTEG6RH4KTLTZjPTghl4= @@ -851,8 +865,9 @@ golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20210805182204-aaa1db679c0d/go.mod h1:9nx3DQGgdP8bBQD5qx golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20211112202133-69e39bad7dc2/go.mod h1:9nx3DQGgdP8bBQD5qxJ1jj9UTztislL4KSBs9R2vV5Y= golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20220425223048-2871e0cb64e4/go.mod h1:CfG3xpIq0wQ8r1q4Su4UZFWDARRcnwPjda9FqA0JpMk= golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20220722155237-a158d28d115b/go.mod h1:XRhObCWvk6IyKnWLug+ECip1KBveYUHfp+8e9klMJ9c= -golang.org/x/net v0.2.0 h1:sZfSu1wtKLGlWI4ZZayP0ck9Y73K1ynO6gqzTdBVdPU= golang.org/x/net v0.2.0/go.mod h1:KqCZLdyyvdV855qA2rE3GC2aiw5xGR5TEjj8smXukLY= +golang.org/x/net v0.7.0 h1:rJrUqqhjsgNp7KqAIc25s9pZnjU7TUcSY7HcVZjdn1g= +golang.org/x/net v0.7.0/go.mod h1:2Tu9+aMcznHK/AK1HMvgo6xiTLG5rD5rZLDS+rp2Bjs= golang.org/x/oauth2 v0.0.0-20180821212333-d2e6202438be/go.mod h1:N/0e6XlmueqKjAGxoOufVs8QHGRruUQn6yWY3a++T0U= golang.org/x/oauth2 v0.0.0-20190226205417-e64efc72b421/go.mod h1:gOpvHmFTYa4IltrdGE7lF6nIHvwfUNPOp7c8zoXwtLw= golang.org/x/oauth2 v0.0.0-20190604053449-0f29369cfe45/go.mod h1:gOpvHmFTYa4IltrdGE7lF6nIHvwfUNPOp7c8zoXwtLw= @@ -945,12 +960,14 @@ golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20220520151302-bc2c85ada10a/go.mod h1:oPkhp1MJrh7nUepCBc golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20220722155257-8c9f86f7a55f/go.mod h1:oPkhp1MJrh7nUepCBck5+mAzfO9JrbApNNgaTdGDITg= golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20220811171246-fbc7d0a398ab/go.mod h1:oPkhp1MJrh7nUepCBck5+mAzfO9JrbApNNgaTdGDITg= golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20220908164124-27713097b956/go.mod h1:oPkhp1MJrh7nUepCBck5+mAzfO9JrbApNNgaTdGDITg= -golang.org/x/sys v0.2.0 h1:ljd4t30dBnAvMZaQCevtY0xLLD0A+bRZXbgLMLU1F/A= golang.org/x/sys v0.2.0/go.mod h1:oPkhp1MJrh7nUepCBck5+mAzfO9JrbApNNgaTdGDITg= +golang.org/x/sys v0.5.0 h1:MUK/U/4lj1t1oPg0HfuXDN/Z1wv31ZJ/YcPiGccS4DU= +golang.org/x/sys v0.5.0/go.mod h1:oPkhp1MJrh7nUepCBck5+mAzfO9JrbApNNgaTdGDITg= golang.org/x/term v0.0.0-20201117132131-f5c789dd3221/go.mod h1:Nr5EML6q2oocZ2LXRh80K7BxOlk5/8JxuGnuhpl+muw= golang.org/x/term v0.0.0-20201126162022-7de9c90e9dd1/go.mod h1:bj7SfCRtBDWHUb9snDiAeCFNEtKQo2Wmx5Cou7ajbmo= golang.org/x/term v0.0.0-20210927222741-03fcf44c2211/go.mod h1:jbD1KX2456YbFQfuXm/mYQcufACuNUgVhRMnK/tPxf8= golang.org/x/term v0.2.0/go.mod h1:TVmDHMZPmdnySmBfhjOoOdhjzdE1h4u1VwSiw2l1Nuc= +golang.org/x/term v0.5.0/go.mod h1:jMB1sMXY+tzblOD4FWmEbocvup2/aLOaQEp7JmGp78k= golang.org/x/text v0.0.0-20170915032832-14c0d48ead0c/go.mod h1:NqM8EUOU14njkJ3fqMW+pc6Ldnwhi/IjpwHt7yyuwOQ= golang.org/x/text v0.3.0/go.mod h1:NqM8EUOU14njkJ3fqMW+pc6Ldnwhi/IjpwHt7yyuwOQ= golang.org/x/text v0.3.1-0.20180807135948-17ff2d5776d2/go.mod h1:NqM8EUOU14njkJ3fqMW+pc6Ldnwhi/IjpwHt7yyuwOQ= @@ -960,8 +977,8 @@ golang.org/x/text v0.3.4/go.mod h1:5Zoc/QRtKVWzQhOtBMvqHzDpF6irO9z98xDceosuGiQ= golang.org/x/text v0.3.6/go.mod h1:5Zoc/QRtKVWzQhOtBMvqHzDpF6irO9z98xDceosuGiQ= golang.org/x/text v0.3.7/go.mod h1:u+2+/6zg+i71rQMx5EYifcz6MCKuco9NR6JIITiCfzQ= golang.org/x/text v0.4.0/go.mod h1:mrYo+phRRbMaCq/xk9113O4dZlRixOauAjOtrjsXDZ8= -golang.org/x/text v0.5.0 h1:OLmvp0KP+FVG99Ct/qFiL/Fhk4zp4QQnZ7b2U+5piUM= -golang.org/x/text v0.5.0/go.mod h1:mrYo+phRRbMaCq/xk9113O4dZlRixOauAjOtrjsXDZ8= +golang.org/x/text v0.7.0 h1:4BRB4x83lYWy72KwLD/qYDuTu7q9PjSagHvijDw7cLo= +golang.org/x/text v0.7.0/go.mod h1:mrYo+phRRbMaCq/xk9113O4dZlRixOauAjOtrjsXDZ8= golang.org/x/time v0.0.0-20180412165947-fbb02b2291d2/go.mod h1:tRJNPiyCQ0inRvYxbN9jk5I+vvW/OXSQhTDSoE431IQ= golang.org/x/time v0.0.0-20181108054448-85acf8d2951c/go.mod h1:tRJNPiyCQ0inRvYxbN9jk5I+vvW/OXSQhTDSoE431IQ= golang.org/x/time v0.0.0-20190308202827-9d24e82272b4/go.mod h1:tRJNPiyCQ0inRvYxbN9jk5I+vvW/OXSQhTDSoE431IQ= @@ -1144,6 +1161,7 @@ gopkg.in/alexcesaro/quotedprintable.v3 v3.0.0-20150716171945-2caba252f4dc h1:2gG gopkg.in/alexcesaro/quotedprintable.v3 v3.0.0-20150716171945-2caba252f4dc/go.mod h1:m7x9LTH6d71AHyAX77c9yqWCCa3UKHcVEj9y7hAtKDk= gopkg.in/check.v1 v0.0.0-20161208181325-20d25e280405/go.mod h1:Co6ibVJAznAaIkqp8huTwlJQCZ016jof/cbN4VW5Yz0= gopkg.in/check.v1 v1.0.0-20180628173108-788fd7840127/go.mod h1:Co6ibVJAznAaIkqp8huTwlJQCZ016jof/cbN4VW5Yz0= +gopkg.in/check.v1 v1.0.0-20190902080502-41f04d3bba15/go.mod h1:Co6ibVJAznAaIkqp8huTwlJQCZ016jof/cbN4VW5Yz0= gopkg.in/check.v1 v1.0.0-20200227125254-8fa46927fb4f/go.mod h1:Co6ibVJAznAaIkqp8huTwlJQCZ016jof/cbN4VW5Yz0= gopkg.in/check.v1 v1.0.0-20201130134442-10cb98267c6c h1:Hei/4ADfdWqJk1ZMxUNpqntNwaWcugrBjAiHlqqRiVk= gopkg.in/check.v1 v1.0.0-20201130134442-10cb98267c6c/go.mod h1:JHkPIbrfpd72SG/EVd6muEfDQjcINNoR0C8j2r3qZ4Q=
internal/service/uploader/upload.go+19 −0 modified@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import ( "bytes" "fmt" "io" + "io/ioutil" "mime/multipart" "net/http" "os" @@ -19,6 +20,7 @@ import ( "github.com/answerdev/answer/pkg/uid" "github.com/disintegration/imaging" "github.com/gin-gonic/gin" + exifremove "github.com/scottleedavis/go-exif-remove" "github.com/segmentfault/pacman/errors" ) @@ -192,6 +194,7 @@ func (us *UploaderService) uploadFile(ctx *gin.Context, file *multipart.FileHead return "", errors.InternalServer(reason.UnknownError).WithError(err).WithStack() } defer src.Close() + Dexif(filePath, filePath) if !checker.IsSupportedImageFile(src, filepath.Ext(fileSubPath)) { return "", errors.BadRequest(reason.UploadFileUnsupportedFileFormat) @@ -200,3 +203,19 @@ func (us *UploaderService) uploadFile(ctx *gin.Context, file *multipart.FileHead url = fmt.Sprintf("%s/uploads/%s", siteGeneral.SiteUrl, fileSubPath) return url, nil } + +func Dexif(filepath string, destpath string) error { + img, err := ioutil.ReadFile(filepath) + if err != nil { + return err + } + noExifBytes, err := exifremove.Remove(img) + if err != nil { + return err + } + err = os.WriteFile(destpath, noExifBytes, 0644) + if err != nil { + return err + } + return nil +}
Vulnerability mechanics
Generated on May 9, 2026. Inputs: CWE entries + fix-commit diffs from this CVE's patches. Citations validated against bundle.
References
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