What is CVE-2023-47248?

CVE-2023-47248 is a critical-severity insecure deserialization vulnerability in pyarrow (pip), affecting versions >= 0.14.0, < 14.0.1. It is fixed in 14.0.1. Untrusted serialized data is processed by a deserializer that can instantiate arbitrary objects or execute code as a side effect.

How severe is CVE-2023-47248?

CVE-2023-47248 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.

Which versions of pyarrow are affected by CVE-2023-47248?

pyarrow (pip) versions >= 0.14.0, < 14.0.1 is affected.

Is there a fix for CVE-2023-47248?

Yes. CVE-2023-47248 is fixed in 14.0.1. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is CVE-2023-47248 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2023-47248 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.

What actually determines whether CVE-2023-47248 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.

CVE-2023-47248 in pyarrow | Intelligent Application Security

Q: How severe is CVE-2023-47248?

CVE-2023-47248 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.

Q: Which versions of pyarrow are affected by CVE-2023-47248?

pyarrow (pip) versions >= 0.14.0, < 14.0.1 is affected.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2023-47248?

Yes. CVE-2023-47248 is fixed in 14.0.1. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is CVE-2023-47248 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2023-47248 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.

Q: What actually determines whether CVE-2023-47248 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.

Q: How do I fix CVE-2023-47248?

Upgrade pyarrow to 14.0.1 or later.

Summary

Deserialization of untrusted data in IPC and Parquet readers in PyArrow versions 0.14.0 to 14.0.0 allows arbitrary code execution. An application is vulnerable if it reads Arrow IPC, Feather or Parquet data from untrusted sources (for example user-supplied input files).

This vulnerability only affects PyArrow, not other Apache Arrow implementations or bindings.

It is recommended that users of PyArrow upgrade to 14.0.1. Similarly, it is recommended that downstream libraries upgrade their dependency requirements to PyArrow 14.0.1 or later. PyPI packages are already available, and we hope that conda-forge packages will be available soon.

If it is not possible to upgrade, maintainers provide a separate package pyarrow-hotfix that disables the vulnerability on older PyArrow versions. See https://pypi.org/project/pyarrow-hotfix/ for instructions.

Impact

Untrusted serialized data is processed by a deserializer that can instantiate arbitrary objects or execute code as a side effect. Typical impact: arbitrary code execution or logic abuse.

CVE-2023-47248 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 (14.0.1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

pyarrow (>= 0.14.0, < 14.0.1)

Security releases

pyarrow → 14.0.1 (pip)

Kodem intelligence

Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.

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. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.

See it in your environment

Remediation advice

Upgrade pyarrow to 14.0.1 or later to resolve this vulnerability.

Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-47248? CVE-2023-47248 is a critical-severity insecure deserialization vulnerability in pyarrow (pip), affecting versions >= 0.14.0, < 14.0.1. It is fixed in 14.0.1. Untrusted serialized data is processed by a deserializer that can instantiate arbitrary objects or execute code as a side effect.
How severe is CVE-2023-47248? CVE-2023-47248 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.
Which versions of pyarrow are affected by CVE-2023-47248? pyarrow (pip) versions >= 0.14.0, < 14.0.1 is affected.
Is there a fix for CVE-2023-47248? Yes. CVE-2023-47248 is fixed in 14.0.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is CVE-2023-47248 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-47248 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
What actually determines whether CVE-2023-47248 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.
How do I fix CVE-2023-47248? Upgrade pyarrow to 14.0.1 or later.

Other vulnerabilities in pyarrow

CVE-2023-47248 CVE-2019-12408 CVE-2019-12410