GHSA-qw48-84f6-28gv
HIGHGraphite Has a Pickle Deserialization Vulnerability
Blast Radius
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Description
Impact
Type of vulnerability: Insecure Deserialization via Python's pickle module.
Who is impacted:
Users of Graphite graph database engine versions before 0.2 who load database files from untrusted or third-party sources.
An attacker could craft a malicious database file that executes arbitrary code when loaded by the engine. This is possible because the engine used pickle for serialization, which is known to be unsafe for untrusted data.
Patches
The vulnerability has been patched starting from version 0.2.
All users should upgrade to version 0.2 or later (the current version is 0.4 at publishing time).
In version 0.2 and above, the engine uses JSON instead of pickle for database storage, eliminating the deserialization risk.
Workarounds
If users cannot upgrade immediately:
- Do not load database files from untrusted or unknown sources when using versions <0.2.
- Migrate existing pickle-based databases to the new JSON format using the provided migration module:
from graphite.Migration import convert_pickle_to_json
convert_pickle_to_json("path/to/old_database.pkl", "path/to/new_database.json")
After migration, you can safely use the database with version 0.2+.
Note: Versions 0.2 and later will show a warning when attempting to load legacy pickle files, reminding you to migrate them. Also, you can't load pickle files in 0.2 and later.
Resources
- Upgrade to v0.2 or newer
- Migration guide: See
graphite.Migrationmodule documentation - More on pickle security: Python docs – pickle security
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | graphitedb | all versions | 0.2 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for graphitedb. 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 graphitedb to 0.2 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-qw48-84f6-28gv 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-qw48-84f6-28gv 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-qw48-84f6-28gv. 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-qw48-84f6-28gv in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-qw48-84f6-28gv across PyPI dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.