CVE-2023-1177

Workarounds

If you are using the MLflow open source mlflow server or mlflow ui commands, we strongly recommend limiting who can access your MLflow Model Registry and MLflow Tracking servers using a cloud VPC, an IP allowlist for inbound requests, authentication / authorization middleware, or another access restriction mechanism of your choosing.

If you are using the MLflow open source mlflow server or mlflow ui commands, we also strongly recommend limiting the remote files to which your MLflow Model Registry and MLflow Tracking servers have access. For example, if your MLflow Model Registry or MLflow Tracking server uses cloud-hosted blob storage for MLflow artifacts, make sure to restrict the scope of your server's cloud credentials such that it can only access files and directories related to MLflow.

References

More information about the vulnerability is available at https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-1177.

Users of the MLflow Open Source Project who are hosting the MLflow Model Registry using the mlflow server or mlflow ui commands using an MLflow version older than MLflow 2.2.1 may be vulnerable to a remote file access exploit if they are not limiting who can query their server (for example, by using a cloud VPC, an IP allowlist for inbound requests, or authentication / authorization middleware).

This issue only affects users and integrations that run the mlflow server and mlflow ui commands. Integrations that do not make use of mlflow server or mlflow ui are unaffected; for example, the Databricks Managed MLflow product and MLflow on Azure Machine Learning do not make use of these commands and are not impacted by these vulnerabilities in any way.

The vulnerability detailed in https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-1177 enables an actor to download arbitrary files unrelated to MLflow from the host server, including any files stored in remote locations to which the host server has access.

Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files. Typical impact: unauthorized file read or write outside the intended directory.

CVE-2023-1177 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (2.2.1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

This vulnerability has been patched in MLflow 2.2.1, which was released to PyPI on March 2nd, 2023. If you are using mlflow server or mlflow ui with the MLflow Model Registry, we recommend upgrading to MLflow 2.2.1 as soon as possible.

1. What is CVE-2023-1177? CVE-2023-1177 is a critical-severity path traversal vulnerability in mlflow (pip), affecting versions <= 2.2.0. It is fixed in 2.2.1. Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files.
2. How severe is CVE-2023-1177? CVE-2023-1177 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which versions of mlflow are affected by CVE-2023-1177? mlflow (pip) versions <= 2.2.0 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2023-1177? Yes. CVE-2023-1177 is fixed in 2.2.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2023-1177 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-1177 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2023-1177 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix CVE-2023-1177? Upgrade mlflow to 2.2.1 or later.