GHSA-wp72-7hj9-5265
LOWRemote file existence check vulnerability in `mlflow server` and `mlflow ui` CLIs
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
mlflowReal-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
Impact
Users of the MLflow Open Source Project who are hosting the MLflow Model Registry using the mlflow server or mlflow ui commands using an MLflow version older than MLflow 2.2.1 may be vulnerable to a remote file existence check exploit if they are not limiting who can query their server (for example, by using a cloud VPC, an IP allowlist for inbound requests, or authentication / authorization middleware).
This issue only affects users and integrations that run the mlflow server and mlflow ui commands. Integrations that do not make use of mlflow server or mlflow ui are unaffected; for example, the Databricks Managed MLflow product and MLflow on Azure Machine Learning do not make use of these commands and are not impacted by these vulnerabilities in any way.
The vulnerability detailed in https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-1176 enables an actor to check the existence of arbitrary files unrelated to MLflow from the host server, including any files stored in remote locations to which the host server has access.
Patches
This vulnerability has been patched in MLflow 2.2.1, which was released to PyPI on March 2nd, 2023. If you are using mlflow server or mlflow ui with the MLflow Model Registry, we recommend upgrading to MLflow 2.2.1 as soon as possible.
Workarounds
If you are using the MLflow open source mlflow server or mlflow ui commands, we strongly recommend limiting who can access your MLflow Model Registry and MLflow Tracking servers using a cloud VPC, an IP allowlist for inbound requests, authentication / authorization middleware, or another access restriction mechanism of your choosing.
If you are using the MLflow open source mlflow server or mlflow ui commands, we also strongly recommend limiting the remote files to which your MLflow Model Registry and MLflow Tracking servers have access. For example, if your MLflow Model Registry or MLflow Tracking server uses cloud-hosted blob storage for MLflow artifacts, make sure to restrict the scope of your server's cloud credentials such that it can only access files and directories related to MLflow.
References
More information about the vulnerability is available at https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-1176.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | mlflow | all versions | 2.2.1 |
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 mlflow. 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 mlflow to 2.2.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-wp72-7hj9-5265 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-wp72-7hj9-5265 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-wp72-7hj9-5265. 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-wp72-7hj9-5265 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-wp72-7hj9-5265 across PyPI dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.