GHSA-5m22-cfq9-86x6
HIGHPickle serialization vulnerable to Deserialization of Untrusted Data
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.
Blast Radius
vantage6Real-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
What
We are using pickle as default serialization module but that has known security issues (see e.g. https://medium.com/ochrona/python-pickle-is-notoriously-insecure-d6651f1974c9).
In summary, it is not advisable to open Pickles that you create yourself locally. In vantage6, algorithms use pickles to send aggregated data around and to pack algorithm input or output. All of the Python algorithms that use the wrappers with default serialization are therefore vulnerable to this issue.
Solution: we should use JSON instead
Impact
All users of vantage6 that post tasks with algorithms that use the default serialization. The default serialization is used by default with all algorithm wrappers.
Patches
Not yet
Workarounds
Specify JSON serialization
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | vantage6 | all versions | 4.0.2 |
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 vantage6. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update vantage6 to 4.0.2 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-5m22-cfq9-86x6 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 pinpoints whether GHSA-5m22-cfq9-86x6 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to GHSA-5m22-cfq9-86x6. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-5m22-cfq9-86x6 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-5m22-cfq9-86x6 across PyPI dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.