CVE-2026-31230
ART Kubeflow argument injection via unsafe eval() allows code execution.
- CVSS 9.8
- CWE-88
- Input Validation and Sanitization
- Remote
The Adversarial Robustness Toolbox (ART) thru 1.20.1 contains a command-line argument injection vulnerability in its Kubeflow component (robustness_evaluation_fgsm_pytorch.py). The script uses the unsafe eval() function to parse string values provided via the –clip_values and –input_shape command-line arguments. This allows an attacker to inject arbitrary Python code into these arguments, which will be executed when eval() is called. The vulnerability can be exploited remotely if an attacker can control these arguments (e.g., through pipeline configuration or automated scripts), leading to arbitrary code execution on the system running the ART evaluation.
- CWE
- CWE-88
- CVSS base score
- 9.8
- Published
- 2026-05-12
- OWASP
- A03 Injection
- Orthogonal defect classification
- Checking
- Code defect classification
- Incorrect Algorithm
- Category
- Input Validation and Sanitization
- Subcategory
- Command Injection
- Accessibility scope
- Remote
- Impact
- Arbitrary Code Execution
- Affected component
- Adversarial
- Fixed by upgrading
- Yes
Solution
Upgrade Adversarial Robustness Toolbox (ART) to version 1.20.2 or later.
Vulnerable code sample
import argparse
import sys
def main():
"""
Main function to parse arguments and run a simulated evaluation.
This script contains a command injection vulnerability via eval().
"""
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="PyTorch FGSM Robustness Evaluation")
parser.add_argument(
"--clip_values",
type=str,
help="A string to be evaluated as a Python tuple, e.g., '(0, 1)'.",
required=True,
)
parser.add_argument(
"--input_shape",
type=str,
help="A string to be evaluated as a Python tuple, e.g., '(1, 28, 28)'.",
required=True,
)
parser.add_argument(
"--model_path",
type=str,
help="Path to the trained model.",
default="/mnt/model.pt"
)
# In a real Kubeflow component, more arguments would be parsed here.
if len(sys.argv) == 1:
parser.print_help(sys.stderr)
sys.exit(1)
args = parser.parse_args()
print(f"[INFO] Received model path: {args.model_path}")
# VULNERABILITY: Unsafe use of eval() on user-provided command-line arguments.
# An attacker can inject arbitrary code into --clip_values or --input_shape.
# Example payload: --clip_values="__import__('os').system('echo pwned > /tmp/pwned')"
print(f"[INFO] Parsing --clip_values argument: {args.clip_values}")
clip_values = eval(args.clip_values)
print(f"[INFO] Parsing --input_shape argument: {args.input_shape}")
input_shape = eval(args.input_shape)
print(f"[SUCCESS] Parsed clip_values: {clip_values}")
print(f"[SUCCESS] Parsed input_shape: {input_shape}")
print("\n[INFO] Starting simulated robustness evaluation...")
# Dummy evaluation logic would follow
print("[INFO] Evaluation complete.")
if __name__ == "__main__":
main()Patched code sample
import argparse
import ast
import sys
# This example represents the fixed code.
# The vulnerability was the use of the unsafe `eval()` function to parse
# command-line arguments. The fix is to replace it with the secure
# `ast.literal_eval()` function.
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
parser.add_argument(
"--clip_values",
type=str,
default="(0, 1)",
help="String representation of a tuple, e.g., '(0, 1)'"
)
parser.add_argument(
"--input_shape",
type=str,
default="(1, 28, 28)",
help="String representation of a tuple, e.g., '(1, 28, 28)'"
)
args = parser.parse_args()
try:
# FIXED AND SAFE CODE:
# `ast.literal_eval` safely parses strings containing Python literals
# (like tuples, lists, numbers) without executing arbitrary code.
clip_values = ast.literal_eval(args.clip_values)
input_shape = ast.literal_eval(args.input_shape)
print(f"Successfully parsed clip_values: {clip_values}")
print(f"Successfully parsed input_shape: {input_shape}")
except (ValueError, SyntaxError) as e:
# An attempt to inject code (e.g., passing "__import__('os').system('id')")
# will fail safely with a ValueError here instead of being executed.
print(f"Error: Invalid or malicious input detected. {e}", file=sys.stderr)
sys.exit(1)Payload
__import__('os').system('id')
Cite this entry
@misc{vaitp:cve202631230,
title = {{ART Kubeflow argument injection via unsafe eval() allows code execution.}},
author = {Bogaerts, Fr\'ed\'eric and Ivaki, Naghmeh and Fonseca, Jos\'e},
year = {2026},
note = {VAITP Python Vulnerability Dataset, entry CVE-2026-31230},
howpublished = {\url{https://netpack.pt/vaitp/vulnerability/CVE-2026-31230/}}
}
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