{"id":"CVE-2026-68508","aliases":["EUVD-2026-64130","GHSA-2cp2-2r3c-7p7r","PYSEC-2026-3850"],"status":"published","title":"Hydra: hydra.utils.instantiate with untrusted config can lead to code execution","description":"Hydra is a framework for elegantly configuring complex applications. Prior to 1.3.4, hydra.utils.instantiate() resolves and calls Python objects selected by configuration through _resolve_target() in hydra/_internal/instantiate/_instantiate2.py, allowing attacker-controlled target values and arguments to choose dangerous callables. A consuming application, library, CLI workflow, or model loader that passes untrusted configuration, CLI overrides, or model metadata into hydra.utils.instantiate() can therefore execute arbitrary code in its own process, including reading or modifying files and credentials or terminating the process. Version 1.3.4 adds target blocking with an explicit HYDRA_INSTANTIATE_ALLOWLIST_OVERRIDE escape hatch. This issue is fixed in version 1.3.4.","severity":{"version":"3.1","score":7.8,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","level":"high","assessor":"cna","from":"cve"},"epss":{"day":"2026-11-11","score":0.00456,"percentile":0.39992,"model":"v2026.06.15"},"facts":{"in_kev":false,"known_exploited":false,"public_exploit":false,"fix_available":true},"cwes":["CWE-470","CWE-94"],"published":"2026-08-21T20:09:26Z","modified":"2026-10-28T02:30:42Z","fixes":[{"ecosystem":"PyPI","package":"hydra-core","fixed_in":["1.3.4"],"sources":["ghsa","osv"]}],"affected":[{"source":"ghsa","ecosystem":"PyPI","package":"hydra-core","ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"},{"last_affected":"1.3.3"},{"fixed":"1.3.4"}]}]},{"source":"osv","ecosystem":"PyPI","package":"hydra-core","ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"},{"fixed":"1.3.4"}]}],"versions":["0.1.4","0.1.5","0.1.5rc1","0.10.0","0.11.0","0.11.0rc1","0.11.1","0.11.1rc1","0.11.2","0.11.2rc1","0.11.3","0.9.0","1.0.0","1.0.0rc1","1.0.0rc2","1.0.0rc3","1.0.0rc4","1.0.1","1.0.2","1.0.3","1.0.4","1.0.5","1.0.6","1.0.7","1.1.0","1.1.0.dev1","1.1.0.dev2","1.1.0.dev3","1.1.0.dev4","1.1.0.dev5","1.1.0.dev6","1.1.0.dev7","1.1.0rc1","1.1.1","1.1.2","1.1.2.dev0","1.2.0","1.2.0.dev1","1.2.0.dev2","1.2.0.dev3","1.2.0.dev4","1.2.0.dev5","1.3.0","1.3.0.dev0","1.3.0.dev1","1.3.1","1.3.2","1.3.3"]},{"source":"osv","ecosystem":"PyPI","package":"hydra-core","ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"},{"fixed":"1.3.4"}]}],"versions":["0.1.4","0.1.5","0.1.5rc1","0.10.0","0.11.0","0.11.0rc1","0.11.1","0.11.1rc1","0.11.2","0.11.2rc1","0.11.3","0.9.0","1.0.0","1.0.0rc1","1.0.0rc2","1.0.0rc3","1.0.0rc4","1.0.1","1.0.2","1.0.3","1.0.4","1.0.5","1.0.6","1.0.7","1.1.0","1.1.0.dev1","1.1.0.dev2","1.1.0.dev3","1.1.0.dev4","1.1.0.dev5","1.1.0.dev6","1.1.0.dev7","1.1.0rc1","1.1.1","1.1.2","1.1.2.dev0","1.2.0","1.2.0.dev1","1.2.0.dev2","1.2.0.dev3","1.2.0.dev4","1.2.0.dev5","1.3.0","1.3.0.dev0","1.3.0.dev1","1.3.1","1.3.2","1.3.3"]}],"products":[{"vendor":"facebookresearch","product":"hydra"},{"vendor":"ory","product":"hydra"}],"references":[{"url":"https://github.com/hydra-ecosystem/hydra/security/advisories/GHSA-2cp2-2r3c-7p7r","tags":["x_refsource_CONFIRM","advisory","web"]},{"url":"https://github.com/hydra-ecosystem/hydra/issues/3259","tags":["x_refsource_MISC","report","web"]},{"url":"https://github.com/hydra-ecosystem/hydra/pull/3261","tags":["x_refsource_MISC","fix","web"]},{"url":"https://github.com/hydra-ecosystem/hydra/commit/7faad0dcedfb4c0a364aa1067c0080fd6fdf8dca","tags":["x_refsource_MISC","fix","web"]},{"url":"https://github.com/hydra-ecosystem/hydra/releases/tag/v1.3.4","tags":["x_refsource_MISC","web"]},{"url":"https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-2cp2-2r3c-7p7r","tags":["advisory"]},{"url":"https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2026/68xxx/CVE-2026-68508.json","tags":["advisory"]},{"url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-68508","tags":["advisory"]},{"url":"https://github.com/hydra-ecosystem/hydra","tags":["package"]},{"url":"https://pypi.org/project/hydra-core","tags":["package"]}],"sources":{"cve":[{"id":"CVE-2026-68508","title":"Hydra: hydra.utils.instantiate with untrusted config can lead to code execution","description":"Hydra is a framework for elegantly configuring complex applications. Prior to 1.3.4, hydra.utils.instantiate() resolves and calls Python objects selected by configuration through _resolve_target() in hydra/_internal/instantiate/_instantiate2.py, allowing attacker-controlled target values and arguments to choose dangerous callables. A consuming application, library, CLI workflow, or model loader that passes untrusted configuration, CLI overrides, or model metadata into hydra.utils.instantiate() can therefore execute arbitrary code in its own process, including reading or modifying files and credentials or terminating the process. Version 1.3.4 adds target blocking with an explicit HYDRA_INSTANTIATE_ALLOWLIST_OVERRIDE escape hatch. This issue is fixed in version 1.3.4.","status":"published","published":"2026-08-21T20:09:26.113Z","modified":"2026-08-21T21:43:13.889Z","cvss":[{"version":"3.1","score":7.8,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","level":"high","assessor":"cna"}],"cwes":["CWE-94","CWE-470"],"updated_at":"2026-11-02T13:46:10.323375Z"}],"euvd":[{"id":"EUVD-2026-64130","description":"Hydra is a framework for elegantly configuring complex applications. Prior to 1.3.4, hydra.utils.instantiate() resolves and calls Python objects selected by configuration through _resolve_target() in hydra/_internal/instantiate/_instantiate2.py, allowing attacker-controlled target values and arguments to choose dangerous callables. A consuming application, library, CLI workflow, or model loader that passes untrusted configuration, CLI overrides, or model metadata into hydra.utils.instantiate() can therefore execute arbitrary code in its own process, including reading or modifying files and credentials or terminating the process. Version 1.3.4 adds target blocking with an explicit HYDRA_INSTANTIATE_ALLOWLIST_OVERRIDE escape hatch. This issue is fixed in version 1.3.4.","status":"published","published":"2026-08-21T20:09:26Z","modified":"2026-08-21T21:43:13Z","cvss":[{"version":"3.1","score":7.8,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","level":"high"}],"updated_at":"2026-11-02T18:01:36.844009Z"}],"ghsa":[{"id":"GHSA-2cp2-2r3c-7p7r","title":"Hydra: hydra.utils.instantiate with untrusted config can lead to code execution","description":"## Summary\n\n`hydra.utils.instantiate()` resolves and calls Python objects from config. If an\napplication passes untrusted config to `instantiate()`, an attacker who controls\n`_target_` and its arguments can cause arbitrary code execution in the consuming\nprocess.\n\nHydra is not a network service. Exploitation requires a consuming application,\nlibrary, or user workflow to load attacker-controlled config, CLI overrides, or\nmodel metadata and pass it to `hydra.utils.instantiate()`.\n\n## Details\n\nHydra's instantiate API is designed to construct objects and call functions from\nconfiguration. For example:\n\n```yaml\ncomponent:\n  _target_: package.module.Class\n  arg: value\n```\n\nWhen this config is passed to `hydra.utils.instantiate()`, Hydra resolves\n`_target_` and calls it with the provided arguments.\n\nThis is intended for trusted application configuration. However, if untrusted\ninput controls `_target_`, the config becomes a callable-selection mechanism. A\nmalicious config can select a callable capable of executing code or commands and\nprovide attacker-controlled arguments.\n\nThis issue is the same general class of problem discussed by Unit 42 for\ndownstream AI/ML libraries such as NVIDIA NeMo, where untrusted model metadata\nwas passed into Hydra instantiate:\n\nhttps://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/rce-vulnerabilities-in-ai-python-libraries/\n\nHydra 1.3.4 includes a blacklist for some dangerous `_target_` values. That\nblacklist is defense-in-depth and is not a complete security boundary. The\nblacklist is not present in the released `hydra-core` 1.3.3 package, so this\nissue should not be described as a bypass of a released 1.3.3 blacklist.\n\n## Impact\n\nA successful attack can execute code in the process that calls\n`hydra.utils.instantiate()`. The impact is limited to the privileges and\nenvironment of that process.\n\nPotential impact includes:\n\n- Reading files, credentials, environment variables, or data accessible to the\n  process\n- Modifying files, outputs, checkpoints, or application state writable by the\n  process\n- Terminating or disrupting the process\n\n## Affected Usage\n\nApplications and libraries are affected when they pass untrusted or semi-trusted\nconfig, model metadata, CLI overrides, or other externally controlled data to\n`hydra.utils.instantiate()` without constraining which targets may be\ninstantiated.\n\nTrusted application-owned configuration is not affected in the same way.\n\n## Remediation\n\nHydra 1.3.4 hardens the existing behavior by adding a blacklist of obvious\ndangerous targets. It is a substantial security improvement, and users remaining\non the 1.3 release line should upgrade to 1.3.4 or a newer version.\n\nThe unreleased Hydra 1.4 development line uses an allowlist-based instantiation\nmodel that fully addresses this vulnerability class. The allowlist must come\nfrom trusted application code or another trusted channel, not from the untrusted\nconfig being instantiated.\n\nApplications that consume untrusted or semi-trusted config should not pass it\ndirectly to `hydra.utils.instantiate()`. They should validate `_target_` values\nagainst a trusted allowlist before instantiation.","status":"published","published":"2026-08-21T20:57:31Z","modified":"2026-08-21T20:57:32Z","cvss":[{"version":"3.1","score":7.8,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","level":"high"}],"cwes":["CWE-94","CWE-470"],"updated_at":"2026-11-02T14:41:04.755504Z"}],"nvd":[{"id":"CVE-2026-68508","description":"Hydra is a framework for elegantly configuring complex applications. Prior to 1.3.4, hydra.utils.instantiate() resolves and calls Python objects selected by configuration through _resolve_target() in hydra/_internal/instantiate/_instantiate2.py, allowing attacker-controlled target values and arguments to choose dangerous callables. A consuming application, library, CLI workflow, or model loader that passes untrusted configuration, CLI overrides, or model metadata into hydra.utils.instantiate() can therefore execute arbitrary code in its own process, including reading or modifying files and credentials or terminating the process. Version 1.3.4 adds target blocking with an explicit HYDRA_INSTANTIATE_ALLOWLIST_OVERRIDE escape hatch. This issue is fixed in version 1.3.4.","status":"published","published":"2026-08-21T21:17:02.963Z","modified":"2026-10-12T16:10:00.22Z","cvss":[{"version":"3.1","score":7.8,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","level":"high","assessor":"secondary"}],"cwes":["CWE-94","CWE-470"],"updated_at":"2026-11-02T14:12:40.665005Z"}],"osv":[{"id":"CVE-2026-68508","title":"Hydra: hydra.utils.instantiate with untrusted config can lead to code execution","description":"Hydra is a framework for elegantly configuring complex applications. Prior to 1.3.4, hydra.utils.instantiate() resolves and calls Python objects selected by configuration through _resolve_target() in hydra/_internal/instantiate/_instantiate2.py, allowing attacker-controlled target values and arguments to choose dangerous callables. A consuming application, library, CLI workflow, or model loader that passes untrusted configuration, CLI overrides, or model metadata into hydra.utils.instantiate() can therefore execute arbitrary code in its own process, including reading or modifying files and credentials or terminating the process. Version 1.3.4 adds target blocking with an explicit HYDRA_INSTANTIATE_ALLOWLIST_OVERRIDE escape hatch. This issue is fixed in version 1.3.4.","status":"published","published":"2026-08-21T20:09:26.113Z","modified":"2026-10-28T02:30:42.231225634Z","cvss":[{"version":"3.1","score":7.8,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","level":"high"}],"cwes":["CWE-470","CWE-94"],"updated_at":"2026-11-02T15:45:14.808935Z"},{"id":"GHSA-2cp2-2r3c-7p7r","title":"Hydra: hydra.utils.instantiate with untrusted config can lead to code execution","description":"## Summary\n\n`hydra.utils.instantiate()` resolves and calls Python objects from config. If an\napplication passes untrusted config to `instantiate()`, an attacker who controls\n`_target_` and its arguments can cause arbitrary code execution in the consuming\nprocess.\n\nHydra is not a network service. Exploitation requires a consuming application,\nlibrary, or user workflow to load attacker-controlled config, CLI overrides, or\nmodel metadata and pass it to `hydra.utils.instantiate()`.\n\n## Details\n\nHydra's instantiate API is designed to construct objects and call functions from\nconfiguration. For example:\n\n```yaml\ncomponent:\n  _target_: package.module.Class\n  arg: value\n```\n\nWhen this config is passed to `hydra.utils.instantiate()`, Hydra resolves\n`_target_` and calls it with the provided arguments.\n\nThis is intended for trusted application configuration. However, if untrusted\ninput controls `_target_`, the config becomes a callable-selection mechanism. A\nmalicious config can select a callable capable of executing code or commands and\nprovide attacker-controlled arguments.\n\nThis issue is the same general class of problem discussed by Unit 42 for\ndownstream AI/ML libraries such as NVIDIA NeMo, where untrusted model metadata\nwas passed into Hydra instantiate:\n\nhttps://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/rce-vulnerabilities-in-ai-python-libraries/\n\nHydra 1.3.4 includes a blacklist for some dangerous `_target_` values. That\nblacklist is defense-in-depth and is not a complete security boundary. The\nblacklist is not present in the released `hydra-core` 1.3.3 package, so this\nissue should not be described as a bypass of a released 1.3.3 blacklist.\n\n## Impact\n\nA successful attack can execute code in the process that calls\n`hydra.utils.instantiate()`. The impact is limited to the privileges and\nenvironment of that process.\n\nPotential impact includes:\n\n- Reading files, credentials, environment variables, or data accessible to the\n  process\n- Modifying files, outputs, checkpoints, or application state writable by the\n  process\n- Terminating or disrupting the process\n\n## Affected Usage\n\nApplications and libraries are affected when they pass untrusted or semi-trusted\nconfig, model metadata, CLI overrides, or other externally controlled data to\n`hydra.utils.instantiate()` without constraining which targets may be\ninstantiated.\n\nTrusted application-owned configuration is not affected in the same way.\n\n## Remediation\n\nHydra 1.3.4 hardens the existing behavior by adding a blacklist of obvious\ndangerous targets. It is a substantial security improvement, and users remaining\non the 1.3 release line should upgrade to 1.3.4 or a newer version.\n\nThe unreleased Hydra 1.4 development line uses an allowlist-based instantiation\nmodel that fully addresses this vulnerability class. The allowlist must come\nfrom trusted application code or another trusted channel, not from the untrusted\nconfig being instantiated.\n\nApplications that consume untrusted or semi-trusted config should not pass it\ndirectly to `hydra.utils.instantiate()`. They should validate `_target_` values\nagainst a trusted allowlist before instantiation.","status":"published","published":"2026-08-21T20:57:31Z","modified":"2026-09-10T12:25:59.118521669Z","cvss":[{"version":"3.1","score":7.8,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","level":"high"}],"cwes":["CWE-470","CWE-94"],"updated_at":"2026-11-02T15:46:34.338541Z"},{"id":"PYSEC-2026-3850","title":"Hydra: hydra.utils.instantiate with untrusted config can lead to code execution","description":"## Summary\n\n`hydra.utils.instantiate()` resolves and calls Python objects from config. If an\napplication passes untrusted config to `instantiate()`, an attacker who controls\n`_target_` and its arguments can cause arbitrary code execution in the consuming\nprocess.\n\nHydra is not a network service. Exploitation requires a consuming application,\nlibrary, or user workflow to load attacker-controlled config, CLI overrides, or\nmodel metadata and pass it to `hydra.utils.instantiate()`.\n\n## Details\n\nHydra's instantiate API is designed to construct objects and call functions from\nconfiguration. For example:\n\n```yaml\ncomponent:\n  _target_: package.module.Class\n  arg: value\n```\n\nWhen this config is passed to `hydra.utils.instantiate()`, Hydra resolves\n`_target_` and calls it with the provided arguments.\n\nThis is intended for trusted application configuration. However, if untrusted\ninput controls `_target_`, the config becomes a callable-selection mechanism. A\nmalicious config can select a callable capable of executing code or commands and\nprovide attacker-controlled arguments.\n\nThis issue is the same general class of problem discussed by Unit 42 for\ndownstream AI/ML libraries such as NVIDIA NeMo, where untrusted model metadata\nwas passed into Hydra instantiate:\n\nhttps://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/rce-vulnerabilities-in-ai-python-libraries/\n\nHydra 1.3.4 includes a blacklist for some dangerous `_target_` values. That\nblacklist is defense-in-depth and is not a complete security boundary. The\nblacklist is not present in the released `hydra-core` 1.3.3 package, so this\nissue should not be described as a bypass of a released 1.3.3 blacklist.\n\n## Impact\n\nA successful attack can execute code in the process that calls\n`hydra.utils.instantiate()`. The impact is limited to the privileges and\nenvironment of that process.\n\nPotential impact includes:\n\n- Reading files, credentials, environment variables, or data accessible to the\n  process\n- Modifying files, outputs, checkpoints, or application state writable by the\n  process\n- Terminating or disrupting the process\n\n## Affected Usage\n\nApplications and libraries are affected when they pass untrusted or semi-trusted\nconfig, model metadata, CLI overrides, or other externally controlled data to\n`hydra.utils.instantiate()` without constraining which targets may be\ninstantiated.\n\nTrusted application-owned configuration is not affected in the same way.\n\n## Remediation\n\nHydra 1.3.4 hardens the existing behavior by adding a blacklist of obvious\ndangerous targets. It is a substantial security improvement, and users remaining\non the 1.3 release line should upgrade to 1.3.4 or a newer version.\n\nThe unreleased Hydra 1.4 development line uses an allowlist-based instantiation\nmodel that fully addresses this vulnerability class. The allowlist must come\nfrom trusted application code or another trusted channel, not from the untrusted\nconfig being instantiated.\n\nApplications that consume untrusted or semi-trusted config should not pass it\ndirectly to `hydra.utils.instantiate()`. They should validate `_target_` values\nagainst a trusted allowlist before instantiation.","status":"published","published":"2026-09-10T09:44:53.072336Z","modified":"2026-09-10T12:15:05.604207676Z","cvss":[{"version":"3.1","score":7.8,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","level":"high"}],"updated_at":"2026-11-02T15:52:57.255153Z"}]}}