CVE-2024-5187 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.8) Path Traversal vulnerability in onnx. 1 public exploit reference exists, 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
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2024-5187 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 377,636 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
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' |
Research 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
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2024-5187 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2024-5187. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Fixing This On Your OS
If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2024-5187 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2024-5187 across PyPI dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.