CVE-2025-1716
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2025-1716 is a critical vulnerability in picklescan versions before 0.0.21 where the tool fails to restrict the 'pip' global during pickle file scanning. This allows attackers to embed malicious code in pickle files that downloads and executes arbitrary PyPI packages, bypassing security checks. Anyone using picklescan to validate pickle files from untrusted sources is affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- picklescan
📦 What is this software?
Picklescan by Mmaitre314
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote code execution leading to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, and lateral movement within the network.
Likely Case
Arbitrary package installation leading to malware deployment, data theft, or backdoor installation.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if pickle files are only loaded from trusted sources and network egress is restricted.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires convincing a target to scan a malicious pickle file. The advisory includes proof-of-concept examples showing how to craft malicious pickle files.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 0.0.21
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/mmaitre314/picklescan/security/advisories/GHSA-655q-fx9r-782v
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Update picklescan to version 0.0.21 or later using pip: 'pip install --upgrade picklescan>=0.0.21' 2. Verify the update completed successfully.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict network egress
allBlock outbound connections to PyPI and GitHub from systems running picklescan to prevent package downloads.
# Use firewall rules to block outbound traffic to pypi.org, files.pythonhosted.org, github.com
Use alternative scanning
allTemporarily use alternative pickle scanning tools or manual inspection until patched.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Only scan pickle files from trusted, verified sources with known integrity
- Run picklescan in isolated, sandboxed environments with no network access
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Run 'picklescan --version' and check if version is below 0.0.21Check Version:
picklescan --versionVerify Fix Applied:
Run 'picklescan --version' and confirm version is 0.0.21 or higher📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual pip install activity during pickle scanning
- Network connections to PyPI/GitHub from picklescan processes
Network Indicators:
- Outbound HTTP/HTTPS traffic to pypi.org or github.com from systems running picklescan
SIEM Query:
process_name:"picklescan" AND (destination_ip:pypi.org OR destination_ip:github.com)