CVE-2025-71355 Picklescan CVE debrief

Who should care

Defenders responsible for systems using Picklescan for deserialization, particularly those handling untrusted input, should assess exposure and prioritize updating Picklescan to version 0.0.25 or later.

Why it matters

CVE-2025-71355 is a high-severity vulnerability in Picklescan that allows attackers to execute arbitrary code during deserialization. Defenders should prioritize updating Picklescan to version 0.0.25 or later and assess systems using Picklescan for exposure, particularly those handling untrusted input.

• Execution of arbitrary OS commands
• Bypass of static analysis during deserialization
• Potential for lateral movement and further exploitation

Technical summary

Picklescan before version 0.0.25 fails to detect unsafe global functions in the Numpy library, allowing attackers to bypass static analysis and execute arbitrary code during deserialization. Attackers can craft malicious pickle files using numpy.testing._private.utils.runstring within the reduce method to import dangerous libraries like os and execute arbitrary OS commands when the pickle file is loaded.

Defensive priority

Defenders should prioritize updating Picklescan to version 0.0.25 or later to mitigate this vulnerability. Systems using Picklescan for deserialization should be assessed for exposure, particularly those handling untrusted input.

Recommended defensive actions

• Update Picklescan to version 0.0.25 or later
• Assess systems using Picklescan for deserialization for exposure, particularly those handling untrusted input
• Implement compensating controls to monitor and restrict deserialization of untrusted input
• Review and update incident response plans to include procedures for handling potential exploitation of this vulnerability
• Conduct a thorough inventory of assets that use Picklescan for deserialization and prioritize remediation based on risk
• Monitor for suspicious activity related to deserialization of untrusted input
• Track and document remediation progress and testing results for Picklescan updates

Evidence notes

The CVE record and NVD entry provide details on the vulnerability, but the scope of affected systems and versions beyond Picklescan before 0.0.25 is not explicitly stated. The vendor's canonical source is listed as 'reference_domain_weak' with low confidence.

Sources and references

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.