Summary
Older versions of gradio contained a vulnerability in the /file route which made them susceptible to file traversal attacks in which an attacker could access arbitrary files on a machine running a Gradio app with a public URL (e.g. if the demo was created with share=True, or on Hugging Face Spaces) if they knew the path of files to look for.
This was not possible through regular URLs passed into a browser, but it was possible through the use of programmatic tools such as curl with the --pass-as-is flag.
Furthermore, the /file route in Gradio apps also contained a vulnerability that made it possible to use it for SSRF attacks.
Both of these vulnerabilities have been fixed in gradio==4.11.0
Impact
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-2023-51449 has a CVSS score of 8.6 (High). 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 (4.11.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
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.
Remediation advice
Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2023-51449? CVE-2023-51449 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in gradio (pip), affecting versions < 4.11.0. It is fixed in 4.11.0. Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files.
- How severe is CVE-2023-51449? CVE-2023-51449 has a CVSS score of 8.6 (High). 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 gradio are affected by CVE-2023-51449? gradio (pip) versions < 4.11.0 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2023-51449? Yes. CVE-2023-51449 is fixed in 4.11.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2023-51449 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-51449 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-2023-51449 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-2023-51449? Upgrade
gradioto 4.11.0 or later.