Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
picklescan can miss a dangerous Python pickle pattern. A malicious file may pass scanning, then execute commands if an application later loads it. This matters most where teams use picklescan as a gate for machine-learning models, datasets, or other pickle artifacts from outside trusted sources.
Executive priority
Treat as high priority for organizations handling external pickle or ML artifacts. The business risk is misplaced trust in a security scanner, which can allow malicious files into production pipelines despite appearing clean.
Technical view
CVE-2025-71364 is a CWE-502 deserialization detection bypass in picklescan before 0.0.30. The scanner fails to detect asyncio.unix_events._UnixSubprocessTransport._start in pickle reduce methods, allowing crafted pickle files to evade detection and execute arbitrary commands when loaded.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely where picklescan screens untrusted or third-party pickle files, including ML model supply chains. Systems that never process pickle artifacts, or that do not rely on picklescan for pickle safety decisions, are less directly exposed.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show KEV listing or confirmed active exploitation. Exploitation requires a crafted pickle and user or system interaction that loads the file after it evades detection. Public sources support high impact, but not weaponization status.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to advisory-level detail in the supplied bundle. The key behavior is an undetected reduce-method reference to a built-in subprocess transport start function. Do not infer broader affected products beyond picklescan without additional sources.
Mitigation direction
- Update picklescan to a version not identified as vulnerable by the vendor.
- Review vendor guidance for the exact fixed version and upgrade path.
- Do not load pickle files from untrusted or unauthenticated sources.
- Add independent controls for ML artifact provenance and integrity.
- Quarantine previously accepted pickle artifacts from untrusted sources for re-review.
Validation and detection
- Inventory environments and pipelines using picklescan.
- Check installed picklescan versions against the vendor advisory.
- Identify workflows that accept external pickle, model, or dataset files.
- Re-scan or retire untrusted pickle artifacts accepted before remediation.
- Confirm policy blocks loading untrusted pickle files by default.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-502: Code execution behavior lookup
Code execution and unsafe deserialization weaknesses often justify reviewing execution behavior and process telemetry. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupExecution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2025-71364 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 8.1 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
SSVC decision data
CVSS vector scores
2 official scoresWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N2.85.2VulnCheckCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N——VulnCheckVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 4.0 score
7.6HighVector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Base CVSS 3.1 score
8.1HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- GitHub Security Advisory (GHSA-q77w-mwjj-7mqx)CVE reference, VulnCheck · vendor-advisory
- VulnCheck Advisory: picklescan - Arbitrary Code Execution via Undetected asyncio.unix_events._UnixSubprocessTransport._startCVE reference, VulnCheck · third-party-advisory
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.