CVE-2026-75104
Description
A flaw was found in Hugging Face Transformers. Attackers can exploit this by supplying malicious checkpoint index files with parent-directory references or absolute paths that are not properly validated. This vulnerability allows for reading arbitrary files outside the model directory, leading to information disclosure and filesystem reconnaissance.
Statement
A flaw was found in Hugging Face Transformers in the handling of checkpoint index files. The library fails to properly validate shard filenames, allowing attackers to supply malicious checkpoint index files containing parent-directory references or absolute paths. When a user processes such a malicious checkpoint file, the path traversal vulnerability allows reading arbitrary files outside the intended model directory. This can lead to information disclosure and filesystem reconnaissance. Exploitation requires local access and user interaction to process the malicious checkpoint file.
Mitigation
Upgrade to a fixed version of Hugging Face Transformers when available (currently affected versions: <= 5.15.0). As a workaround, only load checkpoint files from trusted sources, implement additional validation of checkpoint index file paths before processing, and run AI/ML workloads in sandboxed environments with restricted file system access to limit the impact of arbitrary file reads.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 5.5 | N/A | 5.5 |
| Attack Vector | Local | N/A | Local |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | None | N/A | None |
| User Interaction | Required | N/A | Required |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | High | N/A | High |
| Integrity Impact | None | N/A | None |
| Availability Impact | None | N/A | None |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Integrity,Confidentiality,Availability
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands
The attacker may be able to create or overwrite critical files that are used to execute code, such as programs or libraries.
Integrity
Technical Impact: Modify Files or Directories
The attacker may be able to overwrite or create critical files, such as programs, libraries, or important data. If the targeted file is used for a security mechanism, then the attacker may be able to bypass that mechanism. For example, appending a new account at the end of a password file may allow an attacker to bypass authentication.
Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Read Files or Directories
The attacker may be able read the contents of unexpected files and expose sensitive data. If the targeted file is used for a security mechanism, then the attacker may be able to bypass that mechanism. For example, by reading a password file, the attacker could conduct brute force password guessing attacks in order to break into an account on the system.
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
The attacker may be able to overwrite, delete, or corrupt unexpected critical files such as programs, libraries, or important data. This may prevent the product from working at all and in the case of protection mechanisms such as authentication, it has the potential to lock out product users.
Frequently Asked Questions
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