Overview
A critical vulnerability, CVE-2025-55558, has been identified in pytorch v2.7.0, which affects machine learning platforms that employ this version of the software. This vulnerability is of significant concern as it can lead to a buffer overflow, causing a Denial of Service (DoS) and potentially compromising system security or causing data leakage.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-55558
Severity: High (CVSS: 7.5)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Impact: Denial of Service, potential system compromise and data leakage
Affected Products
Product | Affected Versions
pytorch | v2.7.0
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability arises when a PyTorch model, consisting of torch.nn.Conv2d, torch.nn.functional.hardshrink, and torch.Tensor.view-torch.mv(), is compiled by Inductor. The process results in a buffer overflow if the model’s input is not correctly validated. This buffer overflow could then be exploited by an attacker to cause a denial of service, possibly compromising the system or leaking data.
Conceptual Example Code
Below is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. This pseudocode depicts a scenario where a malicious payload triggers the buffer overflow:
# Malicious payload
payload = "A" * 10000 # Oversized input
# PyTorch model
model = torch.nn.Sequential(
torch.nn.Conv2d(1, 64, kernel_size=3, stride=1, padding=1),
torch.nn.functional.hardshrink(),
torch.Tensor.view(-1).mv(payload) # Trigger buffer overflow
)
# Compile with Inductor
inductor.compile(model)
This code would trigger a buffer overflow in the system running this version of pytorch, leading to a Denial of Service (DoS).
Mitigation
Users are advised to apply the vendor-provided patch as soon as possible to correct this vulnerability. As a temporary mitigation strategy, users can deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to help identify and block exploit attempts.
