CVE-2024-5187 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.8) Path Traversal vulnerability in onnx. 1 public exploit or proof-of-concept reference is indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for onnx — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Arbitrary File Overwrite in download_model_with_test_data in onnx/onnx
Exploitation Status
Proof-of-concept exploit code exists
- CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2024-5187.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
Where this sits among everything scored
Real-World Exposure
onnxReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects PyPI packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
A vulnerability in the download_model_with_test_data function of the onnx/onnx framework, versions before 1.16.2, allow for arbitrary file overwrite due to inadequate prevention of path traversal attacks in malicious tar files. This vulnerability enables attackers to overwrite any file on the system, potentially leading to remote code execution, deletion of system, personal, or application files, thus impacting the integrity and availability of the system. The issue arises from the function's handling of tar file extraction without performing security checks on the paths within the tar file, as demonstrated by the ability to overwrite the /home/kali/.ssh/authorized_keys file by specifying an absolute path in the malicious tar file.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | onnx | all versions | 1.16.2pip install --upgrade 'onnx==1.16.2' |
Affected Products
onnxlinuxfoundationResearch use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for onnx, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update onnx to 1.16.2 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2024-5187 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Resolve every user-supplied path to its canonical form and reject anything that escapes the intended directory, and run the component under an account that has no read or write access outside the directory it legitimately serves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2024-5187 in your dependencies?
Find it across PyPI, including transitive dependencies.