CVE-2025-71378
picklescan - Remote Code Execution via Undetected cProfile.runctx in Pickle Files
picklescan before 0.0.30 fails to detect cProfile.runctx function calls in pickle file reduce methods, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code. Malicious pickle files bypass picklescan detection and execute remote code when loaded via pickle.load().
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- None
- User interaction
- Passive
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
7.6
picklescan - Remote Code Execution via Undetected cProfile.runctx in Pickle Files
picklescan before 0.0.30 fails to detect cProfile.runctx function calls in pickle file reduce methods, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code. Malicious pickle files bypass picklescan detection and execute remote code when loaded via pickle.load().
- Record
CVE-2025-71378- CVSS 4.0
- 7.6 High
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - CVSS 3.1
- 8.1 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-502
- Updated
- 2026-11-08
EUVDEUVD-2025-210294
7.6
picklescan before 0.0.30 fails to detect cProfile.runctx function calls in pickle file reduce methods, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code. Malicious pickle files bypass picklescan detection and execute remote code when loaded via pickle.load().
- Record
EUVD-2025-210294- CVSS 4.0
- 7.6 High
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - Updated
- 2026-11-08
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-fcqg-3mwf-cfcf
7.6
Duplicate Advisory: Picklescan is missing detection when calling built-in Python cProfile.runctx
Duplicate Advisory
This advisory has been withdrawn because it is a duplicate of GHSA-9w88-8rmg-7g2p. This link is maintained to preserve external references.
Original Description
picklescan before 0.0.30 fails to detect cProfile.runctx function calls in pickle file reduce methods, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code. Malicious pickle files bypass picklescan detection and execute remote code when loaded via pickle.load().
- Record
GHSA-fcqg-3mwf-cfcf- CVSS 4.0
- 7.6 High
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - CVSS 3.1
- 8.1 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-502
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-9w88-8rmg-7g2p No score
Picklescan is missing detection when calling built-in Python cProfile.runctx
Summary
Using cProfile.runctx function, which is a built-in python 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 cProfile.runctx 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 cProfile
class EvilCProfileRunctx:
def __reduce__(self):
# cProfile.runctx(cmd, globals, locals) -> exec(cmd, ...)
return cProfile.runctx, ("__import__('os').system('whoami')", None, None)
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
- Record
GHSA-9w88-8rmg-7g2p- Weakness
- CWE-502
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
7.6
picklescan before 0.0.30 fails to detect cProfile.runctx function calls in pickle file reduce methods, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code. Malicious pickle files bypass picklescan detection and execute remote code when loaded via pickle.load().
- Record
CVE-2025-71378- CVSS 4.0
- 7.6 High
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X - CVSS 3.1
- 8.1 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N - CVSS 3.1
- 7.8 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-502
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
7.6
picklescan - Remote Code Execution via Undetected cProfile.runctx in Pickle Files
picklescan before 0.0.30 fails to detect cProfile.runctx function calls in pickle file reduce methods, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code. Malicious pickle files bypass picklescan detection and execute remote code when loaded via pickle.load().
- Record
CVE-2025-71378- CVSS 4.0
- 7.6 High
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - Weakness
- CWE-502
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVGHSA-fcqg-3mwf-cfcf
7.6
Duplicate Advisory: Picklescan is missing detection when calling built-in Python cProfile.runctx
Duplicate Advisory
This advisory has been withdrawn because it is a duplicate of GHSA-9w88-8rmg-7g2p. This link is maintained to preserve external references.
Original Description
picklescan before 0.0.30 fails to detect cProfile.runctx function calls in pickle file reduce methods, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code. Malicious pickle files bypass picklescan detection and execute remote code when loaded via pickle.load().
- Record
GHSA-fcqg-3mwf-cfcf- CVSS 4.0
- 7.6 High
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - CVSS 3.1
- 8.1 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-502
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVPYSEC-2026-247
7.8
picklescan before 0.0.30 fails to detect cProfile.runctx function calls in pickle file reduce methods, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code. Malicious pickle files bypass picklescan detection and execute remote code when loaded via pickle.load().
- Record
PYSEC-2026-247- CVSS 3.1
- 7.8 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVGHSA-9w88-8rmg-7g2p No score
Picklescan is missing detection when calling built-in Python cProfile.runctx
Summary
Using cProfile.runctx function, which is a built-in python 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 cProfile.runctx 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 cProfile
class EvilCProfileRunctx:
def __reduce__(self):
# cProfile.runctx(cmd, globals, locals) -> exec(cmd, ...)
return cProfile.runctx, ("__import__('os').system('whoami')", None, None)
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
- Record
GHSA-9w88-8rmg-7g2p- Weakness
- CWE-502
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
picklescanPyPI |
before 0.0.30 | 0.0.30 |
picklescanPyPI |
before 0.0.30, plus listed versions 0.0.10.0.100.0.110.0.120.0.13 Show 24 moreShow less0.0.140.0.150.0.160.0.170.0.180.0.190.0.20.0.200.0.210.0.220.0.230.0.240.0.250.0.260.0.270.0.280.0.290.0.30.0.40.0.50.0.60.0.70.0.80.0.9 |
0.0.30 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| facts | CVE List | |
| affected | ||
| first indexed | CVE List, EUVD, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2025-71378 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.6) in Mmaitre314 Picklescan, published August 26, 2025. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.48%, the 41st percentile. Fixed in picklescan 0.0.30.
References
github.com/mmaitre314/picklescan/security/advisories/GHSA-9w88-8rmg-7g2p
vulncheck.com/advisories/picklescan-remote-code-execution-via-undetected-cprofile-runctx-in-pickle-files
github.com/mmaitre314/picklescan/commit/1931c2d04eaca8d20597705ff39cab78ba364e4b
github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/picklescan/PYSEC-2026-247.yaml
github.com/advisories/GHSA-9w88-8rmg-7g2p
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-71378
github.com/advisories/GHSA-fcqg-3mwf-cfcf
github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2025/71xxx/CVE-2025-71378.json
github.com/mmaitre314/picklescan